Sharing experiences
by OrangeFace99
Summary: Athena plans on making peace within the Egyptian godlings and the Greek demigods, and this is the only way she found to be successful and amusing at the same time. Join our favorite teens as they read the books that recorded their adventures and as they share it to the others. T to be safe.
1. Prologue

**A/N: This happened after the Last Olympian and after the Serpent's Shadow. The characters belong to Riordan, the plot is mine.**

Intro: A large, 2 story, wooden house stand in the middle of the forest. Wild animals prowl near the massive concrete gates that hides the structure from mortal eyes. It was unusually protected (by magic and the Mist, nonetheless) and is the best place for our dear hero to meet up, ensuring nothing or no one will go there to kill them. Inside the house is a large circular living room filled with bean bags. there is also a kitchen and guest rooms.

**Carter's POV**

I slouch down on the couch after I break the fight of two ankle-biters. It started out with yelling, but it escalated to exploding vases, catapulted insects and flying rocks. I'm still positive a spider is in my pocket, but I let it stay there.

_Welcome to Hotel Carter's-pant-pocket, spider_, I thought. _Don't you dare lay eggs in there, this is my favorite pair_.

As I was about so fall asleep (I don't understand why I was sleepy. It was 9:00 pm, for Horus' sake!), I hear Sadie shout from her room.

"Carter! Help!" she screams. I stand up and turn into my "protective older brother" mode, as Sadie calls it. This is the mode where I get strict with Anubis/Walt (seriously, I'm still confused by those two). This is also the mode where I have my worry levels get really high.

I sprint towards her room, almost toppling over Felix' penguins, and open Sadie's door. Thankfully it was unlocked.

Now look, I know most of you would be thinking "You should have knocked first. It's not polite to barge into someone else's room, especially a girl's room. Blah, blah, blah", but Sadie _rarely_ calls for help.

When I barged in the room, I saw that nothing out of the ordinary; her things were not throw across the room, nothing smells or looks burning. I almost thought this was one of her tiny pranks, but then I saw a big, spiral vortex near the window. It glowed black and dark violet, and I could feel it sucking me in, but only slightly. It also had a sense of magic and power.

I look for Sadie and I see her clutching on the foot of her bed as the spiral vortex sucked her in. I run to her and she held on to my hands. I pull, hoping that I can get her far away from the vortex and that the sprain in my arm that I got earlier wouldn't act up.

But, with my luck, it did and I winced. The sprain stopped me mid-pull and ended up being sucked in with Sadie clutching my hand, screaming.

I can't see anything but I feel like I'm being stretch beyond my limit. I could still feel Sadie's hand in mine and I hold on tight. Then a bright white light flashed before my eyes.

**Nico's POV (Nico is still not missing in the story!)**

I head over to the Athena cabin and search for Annabeth.

Yes, you heard me right. I, Nico di Angelo, son of Hades, is going to the Athena cabin to find Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena (duh, she's daughter of Athena. She IS staying in the Athena cabin).

Why you ask? Shut up and you'll know.

As I walk out, I bump into Malcolm, Annie's brother (Don't tell anyone I nicknamed her that or you'll be taking a bath in the Underworld).

"Oh! Nico. I didn't see you there!" he exclaims, eyes wide in fear. He should be afraid, I practically smell like death.

"Yeah, hi. Where's Annabeth?" I say, cutting to the chase.

He fidgets, "Umm, I think she's with Percy"

I mentally slap myself. Of course, she's with Percy. they have been together ever since they started dating.

Finding Percy is not going to be hard. He would either be in **(a) the Poseidon cabin (b) the arena/training room (c) the beach**

And with my knowledge of my cousin, he's at letter C.

"di Angelo!" I hear someone scream at me. I turn my head slightly and see Thalia rushing towards me from the strawberry fields.

She had her silver bow and arrows over her hunter's jacket that is lined with white fur on the collar, sleeves and the hem. Under the jacket, she had a dark blue shirt with a caption that reads "Love hurts, but I hurt harder" Her jeans were ripped on the knees and she had her hunting boots on.

"Hey. Aren't you supposed to, you know, kill men and their evil deeds" I ask her.

She laughs, "Wow, Nico is telling a joke, that's not what you hear everyday. And no,Nico, I don't go around killing men for their 'evil deeds', that's the other's job"

I give her a sarcastic smirk and continue walking towards the beach. I hear her catch up and I quicken my pace. She's still going to reach me anyways.

"Where are you going, Death boy?" she asks.

"Annabeth"

She stopped and stared at me. I also stop and face her.

"Annabeth? Did you just say 'Annabeth'?" she asks. I nod

"Why?" she asks, again.

"You'll know when we reach the lovebirds. It's not confidential anyway. Just a message from her mother." I say and continued to the beach.

When we arrived, I see them snogging on the sand, just a few feet from the water. I think I just barfed a little. I hear Thalia gag beside me. At least somebody understands.

I see that they really are distracted, eating each other's face, so I decided to have a little fun.

I flick my hand up and skeleton hand grabbed them by their legs, hands, arms, and feet. Both of them separated by surprise and began pulling away, unable to reach their weapons.

I motion Thalia to follow me and we walked in front of them.

"Enjoying the sand?" I say to them. I wave the skeleton hands away and cross my arms over my chest. Thalia placed her hands on he waist and was smiling.

"What do you want from me?" Percy complains to Thalia.

Thalia waved him off. "_I _never wanted _anything _from _you, _maybe except that rock shirt you bought last month. _I_ just tagged along with Nico, who wants to talk to _you_" she points at Annabeth.

"Me?" "Her?" Annabeth and Percy said in unison. They looked really confused. Yeah, I have that affect on people, especially when I tell them I'm still 13.

"Yes, I have something to tell you, Annabeth. It came from Lady Athena" I say, and I see her eyes widen. She faintly reminds me of an owl.

"Well, what is it?" she answers back.

"I don't exactly remembered the details because your mother kinda elongated it _a bit_-". After I said it, a barn owl swooped down and pecked me on my ear. It landed on my head and propelled itself on my head, pulling some strands there, and flew back into the forest.

"OW!" I say, rubbing my bleeding ear. "Yep, that's mother, alright" I hear Annabeth mumble, Percy grins as if he probably experienced it before.

"As I was saying -before the rabid owl attacked-, your mother told me that there are other gods in America and that, in order to make peace with them, we sorta have to..._bond_" I continue, saying the last word with poison in my mouth. I hate socializing.

"What do you mean 'bond'?" Percy asks.

"Athena didn't tell me anything, just that we have to learn to get along with those in Brooklyn"

"Brooklyn? But that's banned. It's just like San Francisco!" Annabeth exclaims. I don't know about her, but I have been to Brooklyn, and it's not bad. Although there is something weird about that place.

"whoa, what do you mean 'banned'?" Thalia says.

"Like I told you, there are other gods in their, like in San Francisco where they have the Roman gods" Annabeth explains

"So there are a different kind of gods now? What are they? Irish? Norse?" Percy asks

"I'm not sure. Chiron didn't tell me, but I think it may be-"

Annabeth was cut off by a swirling black vortex behind us.

"NICO! WHAT DID YOU DO?" Percy and Thalia screams at me

"Just because it's in the color black and it appeared suddenly, doesn't mean I'm responsible for this" I scream back at them.

Some of the other campers stared at us in shock, and I hear a young girl, a child of Demeter, shout "Swirlies!" then ran to the cabin, screaming.

I'm not sure what happened next but I remembered Percy grabbing hold of me with Annabeth in his other hand. Then we were sucked in.

**Walt's POV**

I walk around the Brooklyn mansion, bored out of Anubis. Meaning to say, bored out of my mind. Carter told me to meet him in th living a few minutes ago, but he didn't show up, and Carter is all about punctuality.

And I have my whole day free from training. What am I going to do.

_"Do you want to visit Sadie, Anubis?"_ I ask him, who was residing in my head.

_Yeah, sure. But I get to be the one in control. you were the one in control the last time we saw her privately, _he answers.

I mentally shrug, _okay._

Oh, so you were wondering what were talking about? Well, me and Anubis got a truce. We made a deal that, alternating in weeks (or days, occasionally), he would have full control of my body and get to hang out with Sadie (but it was still me physically, my spirit will be in the Duat). We understand that we love one girl, and we know it's harder for her. Since because of him I can still spend time with her and that because of me he can still see and talk to her, we got into a mutual agreement.

And, surprisingly, making a deal with the god of Dead was pretty easy. (I just realized, I made a deal with Death. Bad pun, I know)

_How about I'll take control over you _when_ we reach her room. I don't feel like walking_, he says. I grin. Anubis is amusing in that way. That's one of the reason why I let him make me into his host.

As I near Sadie's room, I see that her door is slightly open. I panic a bit, also feeling Anubis stiffen.

I sprint towards her room and see no sign of her. I enter her room and search for signs of struggle in the room.

_Walt!_ Anubis shouts at me and shows me the vortex.

"What is that, Anubis?" I ask him.

_I don't know..._

Suddenly, I get pulled in the vortex.

**A/N: Hey! this is my second fanfiction and my first crossover.**

**Reviews please. Don't be shy to ask questions about the story, but I won't give spoilers for the following chapter.**

**If you're a fan of divergent, please check out my fanfic ****_Day at the beach_**


	2. Chapter 1 (introductions 1)

**Percy's POV**

I don't know why I suddenly grabbed Nico. I understand why I grabbed Annabeth (she's my girlfriend), but why did I also pull Nico?

Stupid over-protective side of me, making me grab on people when they will get sucked in random swirly vortexes.

I closed my eyes the whole time and reopened them when I felt my butt hit something soft...and familiar.

_Is this...a beanbag?_

Annabeth and Nico fall beside me, still clutching my hands. Annabeth was the first to recover, falling head-first on a green beanbag. Nico was unlucky, who fell face first on the floor.

"Urgh..." he mutters, signaling me that he's still alive. I stand up and rubbed the back of my head, pulling Annabeth up. I hear a shriek and see Thalia fall beside me, landing on top of three beanbags. One under her head, the other under her torso, and the last one under her legs.

Lucky

I help Nico up and see that there were no permanent and serious damage was done on his face. As I turn around, I see a black vortex, like the one we got sucked in, form at the ceiling in the other side of the circular room. I hold Annabeth's hand, just in case my mind decides to go crazy.

I hear a girl screaming down and hit the floor. The girl had light skin, caramel hair streaked with black on the right side and looked young, like 13 years old young. She was holding the hand of a guy with dark skin, curly hair and a lean build. I observed that they had this connection, like they were siblings.

I completely believe that they are siblings.

The guys was the first one to recover and pulled the girl up. They girl topples over, buy they didn't look like they saw us.

They were dressed like they were going to karate class, without the belts. The guys had a white shirt and pants, probably made from linen. He wore slippers and seemed comfortable in it. I wonder if they were.

The girl was dressed the same, except her pants were black and she wore combat boots.

Suddenly, somebody falls, again. It was a girl with chin-length black hair and Arab features, but her amber eyes were startling. She wore the same thing the first boy wore, except she made it look awesome. The boy looked at the Arab and blushed a bit. He helped her get up and even fussed with what she wore, but she waved him off.

She brushed her outfit, and I notice she had 4 leather bags slung on her shoulders. She had turned her back to us and threw one bag each to the two, leaving her with two.

_Hey look! I'm doing math in the summer!_

I hear Thalia clear her throat beside us, and the three of them turned towards us.

**Sadie's POV**

Bloody hell! Where are we, and who are they?

Four people stand in front of us. One of them had his hand in his pocket while a girl reached for her knife. The other two just stared at us. Kinda makes me wish that I wasn't wearing linen PJ's. I have a rep to uphold, even to strangers.

One boy was tall, lean and muscular. Handsome. He had windblown jet black hair with a gray streak, which kinda looked cool on him. His sea green eyes were a contrast to his slightly tan skin. He radiated an aura of power and leadership. He looked like a trouble-maker, with his hair and posture, but there is a twinkle in his eye that makes you want to trust him.

He was holding a pen for some reason. A scribe?

The girl next to him was a bit shorter, but still taller than me. Her honey-blonde hair was in princess curls and was pulled back in a messy ponytail, several strands of her hair sticking out, but it made her look more beautiful. She had this "dumb-blonde" look, but I bet she is the valedictorian in her school.

She also has a gray streak on her hair, like the boy, but darker. But the thing that really got my attention were her stormy gray eyes, it was like she's observing us, studying us.

Both of them wore orange shirt that read "Camp Half-blood" with a winged horse -a _Pegasus_- under it and a pair of shorts and comfortable shoes. At least they get to wear animal-made products.

She was reaching for a dagger on her belt. I was about to think that she was weak, but something tells me she can kill us with something that small. I see that she has a blue baseball on her back pocket with the letters "NY". New York Yankees.

She and the boy were holding hands, probably siblings, I don't know. Look at me and Carter, we're siblings but we don't look alike. They might be dating.

A smaller guy stood next to them. He was almost like Anubis, with pale skin (Okay, the guy is DEADLY pale, almost ghostly white), but that is where the comparison ends.

The bloke had jet black, curly, messy hair that sticks out. He is dressed in an aviator jacket sizes too big with a black shirt under it designed with skeletons. He also wore a pair of black jeans that were bigger than him and black sneakers. He held his pants up with a black belt with a golden buckle, contrasting his dark palette.

Strapped on his belt was an really long, black sword; black hilt, black blade. In what he is wearing, the sword is the "blackest" of it all. He had eyebags under his eyes and gave off the feeling of death and sorrow, as if he's born with it.

He looked "emo". And then I noticed he had a skull ring in his left hand, at the ring finger. He just added himself more "emo" points

The girl next to him was, how does the trainees say this, "Punk".

She was as tall as the blonde, although a few centimeters taller. Her jet black hair was cut short and spiky. She had a dark-blue shirt under a silver hunting jacket. The jacket was made for the cold, being lined with animal fur. She wore tight light blue jeans, ripped on the knees, and a pair of silver combat boots. She has a silver crown on her brow, just over her shocking, electric blue eyes.

She has a silver bow over her shoulders and a quiver-full of white-feathered arrows strapped to her back. She had dark eyeliner on, and a spiked wristband. She also has her right ear pierce with two silver hoops. She had a silver sword hanging on her silver cord on her waist.

I notice that she has a charm bracelet that fits in with her silver outfit, although the top contrasted with it. Her skin looked like it was a tree bark, but it must have been my imagination. The archer looked confident and free-spirited, but she's staring at us like she's deciding if she should impale us with an arrow.

If the emo boy had a black palette, she had a white/silver palette. Her black hair and blue eyes were contrasting the color choice, though.

After the state of shock, me, Carter and Zia take out our weapons. I took out my wand while Zia took out a rod, which elongated to a staff. Zia already set the end of her staff on fire while Carter pulled out his _khopesh_ from the Duat and held a stance, not leaving his eyes on the teenagers.

At that moment, the boy who was holding the pen was now holding a bronze sword, letting go of the blonde's hand. The blonde had unsheathed her dagger and was flickering her eyes between the 3 of us, as if creating a strategy and tactics. The emo kid took out his sword as if it was light as air, but I bet it wasn't. The archer had notched an arrow but was not aiming, just preparing.

We stand their, aiming at the other which seemed like forever.

**Annabeth's POV**

We stared at each other for a long time, readying our weapons. Staying in this position for too long is affecting my ADHD-ed brain, and I also notice that Percy, Nico and Thalia is having the same problem.

Percy is tapping his heel on the floor, and after 4 taps, the other foot bounces up and so on. Nico is moving sideways. _Left and Right, left and right, left and right_, and sometimes he rolls his shoulders. Thalia is doing better, all she is doing is tapping her pinky on the bow. I am turning my head left and right, not taking my gaze off them.

If these awkward staring competition goes any longer, I'll explode. Since I know none of my companions would pipe up, I decide to break the silence.

**Zia's POV**

Why are they always moving? Not "moving" like they go from one place to another, but they roll their shoulders, jump on their heels and turn their heads. Are they sick or something?

Just when I thought the would attack, the blonde one with the gray eyes say, "Who are you".

Her voice had this confidence and power in it, I almost want to answer, but I purse my lip. I see that Sadie and Carter did so.

I extinguish the fire from my staff, feeling the magic take some of my energy, and decide to hold it up for defense. I stared into her eyes, telling her that we wont lower our defense.

"We don't want any trouble" she continues.

"Oh really?" Sadie exclaims. Oh, that girl and her sharp tongue. That will surely get us into trouble.

Every now and then, I'd get a peek at our surroundings. It was a circular room, with a number of _beanbags_ on the lush, white, carpeted floor. The walls were white and has 3 windows: north, south and east. The west was a double door that leads into a room, probably. I see a concrete gate outside this house and I could feel the life essence of the animals outside.

Where are we?

As I continue stealing peeks of our surroundings, I see 2 boxes on the floor. a note was on top.

"What is that?" I ask them, motioning to the boxes at our middle

"Where did that come from?" the boy in black mutters. His voice made me realize that he was just as old as Sadie, yet he looks as old as me and Cater.

"I don't know. I'll check it out" the archer says and places her arrow back at the quiver and sling her bow over her shoulder.

"Why are you advancing unarmed?" I say, rising my eyebrow. These people are weird. first they have slightly the aura of the gods, then they fidget a lot, now they move unarmed? It's a miracle they're alive.

"Who says I'm going unarmed?" the archer smirks. The blonde and the boy with the green eyes smirks a bit, but it was gone quickly. Although the boys smile lasted longer.

The archer tapped her charm bracelet. Oh great, first, she's tapping on her bow, now her charm bracelet?

I thought she was going to sprint quickly and get the box, but instead something weird happened.

Her bracelet turned into a round, big, golden shield with a horrifying face of a woman engraved at the middle with her mouth wide open, baring her golden fangs to us. I realized that the hair of the woman were venomous snakes. The face of the woman looked so real that you think that she would attack. Sadie cringed but pulled herself together. Carter was shocked but muttered, "Cool".

"You think that was cool you should see-" the archer was cut of when a wisp of smoke, a shadow, I realized, covered her mouth. The boy in black had his other hand raised as if he controlled the shadow.

"Shut up, Thals, and get the boxes" he muttered. Why does he keep his voice so low.

"Yeah, I'm getting there" the archer replies after the shadow released her mouth. She took her sword (wait, she had a sword?) from her belt and went forward, plainly walking towards us, even made her arms move around freely. She crouches down and gets the boxes , sheathing her sword in the process, and returned to her position

"You know, if you were just going to walk up their, there was no need for the sword and shield" the green-eyed boy said.

"You're just jealous because I manage to look cool doing so" she says and plops herself down to a beanbag, dropping her bow and quiver on the beanbag on her right. The others follow suite, and we also follow, but not releasing our weapons.

"Okay! So it reads here..."

**Thalia's POV**

"Okay! So it reads here that-" I clear my throat.

"_Dear demigods/godlings/god, _

_Thank you for not killing each other already. If you did, then lets hope somebody knows how to_ _resurrect_.**"**

There were a few chuckles in the room, even the 3 across from us.

_"As we all know (the Greeks especially) that there are more gods out there. The most common are Greek, Roman...and Egyptian"_

Suddenly, Annabeth jumps up and points to the three, "I knew it! I knew you were Egyptians!". the three just stared at her, wide-eyed.

"Calm down, Annabeth" Percy says to Annie and pulls her down.

The Egyptians looked at me and Nico with raised eyebrows. "It's...something we'll tell you later" I answer them.

I read the next line and mutter, "weird"

"What's weird?" the caramel-hair girl asks. Her straight hair was streaked with black on the right side.

"It says here in quotation marks, _"Calm down, Annabeth"_"

"Creepy" Percy says. He motions me to continue.

_"Because of the battle with the Romans, the Greeks do not wish that the same problem to happen with the Egyptians, who has been in this civilization longer than them. The god in both side refuse to make peace, with the Greeks invading the Egyptians decades ago. __ In order to make peace, we have chosen our heroes to be a _representatives_."_

"Representative?" Annabeth mutters

"Heroes?" the curly haired boy with the crescent moon sword says.

_"In these boxes are the recordings of what happened a few years ago. These are all of your adventures and we wish that you will share them with the others, hoping that you will realize that both of you are not so different. The house is secured and well-protected. Beyond the double doors are the other rooms. Upstairs are the bedrooms, in which you have already been situated. We will know when you guys are finished reading. Your clothes are already in your own selected rooms. the gods have made tweaks so your bedrooms here will be just like your rooms back home"_

I hear Nico grunt beside me. I nudge him with my shoulder and point to him the next line. His face got brighter but still remained gloomy.

"What did you show him?" Percy asks me.

_"And, Nico di Angelo, your room will be like the Hades Cabin back at camp. We hope you still like sleeping with greek fire around your head." _ I reply with a smirk.

"What's greek fire?" The boy with the sword asks.

"Greek fire is a kind of fire that never goes out. It can also spread easily and is really hot. It can burn underwater. And, if used correctly, can turn into an explosion that may save your life" Percy explained. He sounds like he's talking from experience, especially the last part. I hear a hint of sadness on that part but it was gone quickly.

We all stare at him, also the Egyptians. He was sitting on a beanie with his arm over Annabeth's shoulder. She was also leaning on him, but she was staring at his face.

"What?" he asks. He had his trademark "I-have-no-idea-what's-going-on.-Annabeth-please-e xplain-to-me-what-is-happening" look on his face.

"You actually stated out RIGHT facts" Annabeth says. She must have gotten used in being the brains in their partnership.

"And managed to look...intelligent" Nico continues

"Ugh, Annabeth, you're rubbing off me! Children of Poseidon shouldn't be smart!" I hear Percy fake-complain. We all smile, and laugh as Annabeth rub her hands on his chest,as if wiping off something on his shirt. She smiles and motions me to continue reading.

_"So, enjoy. and try not to kill each other. Especially Percy, Carter, and Annabeth. Love Athena/Minerva and Thoth. P.S. This was all Athena's idea, not mine."_

Silence.

"Wait, so _you_ don't have to be killed?" the caramel haired girl say to the guy with the sword.

He smiles then leans back, his arms behind his head, "I'm awesome like that"

"Why?" she turns to the girl with Arab features, who shrugged.

"He _is_ the Pharaoh of Per ankh" the Arab replies.

"Whoa, wait. You say _he_-" Annabeth points to the guy with the sword, "-is the Pharaoh?"

"Yeah" he calmly replies

"Ok, I-" Annabeth says, breathing in and out. This was too much for her. Realizing that a 14/15-year-old is the Pharaoh of one the world's oldest civilization is weird. Percy embraces her and listen to her ramble about things he doesn't know. Suddenly 2 male screams filled the air as 2 figures fell from the vortex on the ceiling.

I forgot about that thing. Oopsie.

**Sadie's POV**

I go and check out who fell and see Walt on the floor. He looked fine.

Beside him was...

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Anubis?


	3. Chapter 1 (PJATO)

**Sadie's POV**

Anubis? What are you doing out of Walt?

I ran towards Walt, who was the one DYING, and help him up. Suddenly Walt vanishes into thin air and I am left facing an equally surprised Anubis. I walk to him and take his shirt by my fist.

"What. did. you. do" I say to him, looking into his chocolate eyes. In normal occasions, I would melt into a Sadie-puddle but now I'm furious

"I don't know, Sadie. Really, I-" he was cut of when he looked at the other four. He suddenly pushed me behind him, shielding me.

"You. You reek of death" he looks at the emo boy. The boy shrug and began hitting the carpet repeatedly with his black sword.

"Yeah, I get that A LOT" he answers. What does he mean?

"You get to say that he reeked of death, but you have a more...deathly aura" green-eyes said.

"Your _friend_ here looks like death" Anubis says.

"I'm going to take that as a complement because I have met Death and he look pretty good, actually" emo kid answers. He met death? What is he?

"Okay, enough with the 'death' thing!" I say. I turn to Anubis, "Why are you out of Walt?"

I hear snickers at the other side, I also see Carter looking away. Zia just stared at me in disgust. I thought of what I just said, and it sounded wrong.

"No, I mean..Ugh! Forget it!" I say.

Suddenly, the punk girl shouted in pain and jumped up, holding her right hand, which was pink (like ,burnt, pink). The paper that she had been reading from was on the ground. Words were burned in the paper, as if magic (and I know magic). Emo kid picked it up and read.

_"Sadie Kane, Walt is alright. The gods talked about it and realized that Anubis is a better option in being with you guys now than Walt. He would be safe in the Duat. It would be like he is in a coma. Anubis would return to him directly after this, so don't worry._

_And don't you dare threaten the reader into reading quickly. -Osiris."_

"Oh, thank the gods!" I say. "You're welcome" Anubis replies, then he gets a punch in the arm from yours truly.

_"PSS. _

_Thalia and Zia, don't you dare burn the house down. - Zeus and Horus_

_ Percy, don't flood it. although I'll be proud, the others won't be - Poseidon_

_ Annabeth dear, the plans are in your drawers back at camp - Athena. _

_Nico, try to talk and socialize. - Hestia_

_ Same goes for Carter, Sadie and Zia. Anubis, keep an eye on the magicians, they might kill themselves or destroy the house. - Nephthys"_ Emo kid continues.

We were all silent. Obviously, the other four didn't understand what our side meant, and so do we.

Emo boy nudges the blonde and points to a sentence. the blonde takes it from him and reads it. "Okay, so. It also says here that we should probably start reading if we want to go back where things were normal"

"Normal?"

"Yes, Perce, normal" she says to green-eyes.

The punk girl takes out 8 books; 3 thick ones and 5 thinner. She looks at it and divided it into 2 stacks. 5 on the left stack and 3 on the right.

"This stack here-" she points out to the one one the left, "is titled 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians', which I guess is probably Percy's adventures. And this stack here-" she motions to the right one "is labeled 'Kane chronicles'. I guess this is your stories" she says to us.

We nod. Of course its ours. It has our name "Kane" on it. But they don't know.

"How about we introduce ourselves before reading, so we can communicate clearly in the future. I am Zia Rashid, scribe of First Nome" Zia says

"I'm Carter Kane, Pharaoh of the House of Life. Combat specialist at the twenty-first Nome. former host of Horus" my brother says.

"Wait, what do you mean 'former host'?" blondie says.

"Egyptian gods host the bodies of mortals, preferably the blood of the Pharaoh's. When the gods retreated back, they left their hosts. Anubis stayed for _reasons_" I explain. Anubis wave his hand when I said his name.

"First, he said he's the Pharaoh, now he says that he hosted a god" I hear the punk girl mumble.

"I'm Sadie Kane, former host of Isis and diviner of the twenty-first Nome" I say.

"Let me guess, you're his sister" green-eyes says.

"Yes, how do you know?" I ask him.

"You have some similarities. Don't worry, I have a cyclops and a merman as brothers. I know the feeling of have a sibling that doesn't look like you" he answered. A cyclops and a merman? This guy probably lost his marbles.

"What do you guys mean 'blood of the Pharaohs'?" Emo dude asks.

"We descended from two bloodlines of the Pharaoh. My father was from Narmer's bloodline and my mother descended from Ramses the great" Carter answers.

"We're that awesome" I say, smirking at Carter's reaction to what I said.

"Let me guess, you-" emo boy points to Anubis, who is sitting next to me, "are Anubis, god of funerals and the dead" he says.

"Yes, mortal. How do you know?" Anubis asks.

"You smell like linen and those burnt during funerals. and funerals are associated with death" he calmly answers.

The green-eyed guy suddenly perks up, "Wait, Nico. Aren't you son of the god of the dead?"

"Yeah, I am"

"So, it must mean..." he trails off, but Carter continues, "...that you're his son" Carter smirked.

Anubis and the emo kid's eyes widen, "What? NO!" they both say.

"Like father, like son" I hear the punk girl say, making the emo kid punch her in the gut. In which, she returned with a punch to the side of his head. they continued throwing punches at each other. They should really control their temper, but I have no right to say so.

"Will you two stop it!" I hear the blonde one say. She said it with confidence and authority that I didn't want to move. The two of them stopped.

The emo guy took out something from his pocket that looked like a squished lemon square, took out a part and gave some to the girl, who took it eagerly. they ate and saw that some of their bruises started to fade, until they were bruise less.

"Okay, I guess it's my turn to introduce myself" The green-eyed boy says and stood up, pulling the blonde up with him. "I'm Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, hero of Olympus, and this is _my _girlfriend, Annabeth." he says. The blonde rolls her eyes, smiling.

"I'm Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, architect of Olympus. And from what you already heard, I'm her girlfriend, he's my boyfriend" she answered, completely blank.

She then pulls him down to sit on the bean bag and she began repeatedly punching his arm, like it is out of habit. As if it's a normal thing to repeatedly punch your boyfriend's arm. I'm not saying anything but she doesn't look like she can deal any damage, but based on the look from the other two, it must have bloody hurt, and Percy didn't even wince. He had a blank expression.

"Aren't you hurt?" I ask, my curiosity finally getting the best of me.

Percy smiles, "Well, in a normal occasion, my arm would have been either (a) swollen and bruised (b) purple and numb (c) bleeding internally or (d) completely useless from where she was punching me down to my fingertips. But I have, lets say, a gift"

"or a curse" emo boys says, crossing his arms and leaning back on the beanie. Curse?

"What kind of curse?"

"Curse of Achilles"

Carter gasps, "Wait, you mean _the_ Achilles? The I-died-because-I-got-shot-in-the-heel Achilles?" he asks. Percy nods.

"So, if we hurt your heel, will you be affected?" I ask.

"No, but I still have a part of me that is still vulnerable" he answers.

Annabeth then slides her hand on his back (Where on his back, I don't know) and he stiffens. He glares at her but she just smiles like "Oops"

They saw our confused look and Percy says, "_She_ is the only one who knows where it is"

"Did you date her because she knows where it is or not?" Zia asks.

The punk kid then turns her head to Percy, "Yeah Perce, is _that_ the reason you dated Annabeth?" she glares at him. She must be over-protective to Annabeth, because that is the glare that Carter has whenever he doubts mine and Walt/Anubis' relationship.

"No, Thalia, that is not the reason. I've had a crush on her for a long time, can't you believe how happy I was when we started dating?" Percy replies. Annabeth just sat there, listening to the two.

"Are you okay with you becoming her little punching bag?" punk girl says

"Anyway!" Annabeth sits up, holding out her palms in front of the two's faces, "I believe it's Nico's turn. Nico..." she looks at emo boy.

He grumbles something but she pulls him up. I see skeleton hand holding him down, but she said something to him (in Greek, nonetheless) and the skeletons retreated to the ground and he stood up. He gave Annabeth a death glare (which was scarier if you radiate death), but she didn't care.

"I'm Nico di Angelo" he begins, "I'm the son of Hades. So far, I have no _amazing_ title like 'Hero of Olympus' or 'Architect of Olympus'" he says then props himself down on the red bean bag he was sitting on.

"How about '_the Ghost King_'?" Percy says. Nico sent him a look that probably read, _We promise to never speak of it._

"_Only son of Hades_?" the punk girl suggested

"_Dog-walker of Mrs. O'Leary_?" Percy says, laughing. Mrs. O'Leary must be his dog.

"_Mythomagic maniac_?" the punk girl laughs. Percy laughs with her. Annabeth manages a smile

"I was ten!" he screams at the two.

"What's Mythomagic?" Anubis says. We were all enjoying their bickering.

"Mythomagic is a card game. On the cards are the name of the Greek god/goddess, their image, their 'hit points', 'attack power' and other things" Percy replies.

"You're addicted over a card game?" Carter says to Nico.

"Says the guy who is keeps on looking at the scrying bowl for a certain magician named _Zia_" I tell him, but I purposely say it out loud.

Carter's cheeks turned red, but it was darker because of his skin color. "That was a year ago, Sadie. We will not talk about it, and we will never speak of it. Ever" he says, using his Pharaoh voice. I immediately shut up.

The others stare at me in amusement. I glare at him.

Because the Pharaoh is the supreme ruler, his subjects (unfortunately, including me) has to follow his every command, no matter what we think. and it is just bloody unfair.

"Anyways, what about you?" he says to the punk girl.

"I'm Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus, Lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis" she says, looking at Nico when she told us her title. He rolls her eyes and gives her the finger. I see Percy give him a disappointed look, and Nico dropped his hand.

"Wait, Zeus? You mean the King of the gods. In Greek mythology?" Carter asks. I thought he knows that answer, being a walking, talking Wikipedia.

"Yep" she says. so, if we were to accidentally anger her, she might summon lightning bolts and might kill us all. I decided to not get on her bad side.

"Okay, now we are going to read the books now. Whose book will we read first?" Thalia tells us.

"Percy's" Nico, Annabeth and Carter says.

Percy glares at my brother, then Nico and lastly his girlfriend, who just grinned. "I want to know what is going on in the noggin' of yours" she replies.

He rolls his eyes and kiss her. I, Nico, Thalia, Zia and Carter gag. Anubis didn't because he said to me before that many people kiss during funerals, and he got used to it. After they broke apart, Percy motions Thalia to read.

"Wait" I say, and pull my bean bag closer. I'm not a good listener, I admit. The other follow suite so we are now in a circle, surrounded by multi-colored beanbags.

**Thalia's POV**

I clear my throat and start reading _The Lightning Thief._

"**I ACCIDENTALLY VAPORIZE MY PRE-ALGEBRA TEACHER**" I read the chapter title out loud.

"You did?" Sadie asks. She looks surprised, in a good way. She must hate the teachers. I can't blame her. Mine kept on killing me.

"**Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood**"

"Nobody does" I, Nico, Annabeth and Percy say.

"**If you're reading this because you think you might be one, my advice is: close this book right now. Believe what-ever lie your mom or dad told you about your birth, and try to lead a normal life**"

"Didn't work" Nico mutters

"And it never will" Percy adds.

"**Being a half-blood is dangerous. It's scary. Most of the time, it gets you killed in painful, nasty ways**"

"So, it's like being a magician or godling?" Carter asks. We all nod.

"**If you're a normal kid, reading this because you think it's fiction, great. Read on. I envy you for being able to believe that none of this ever happened. ****But if you recognize yourself in these pages-if you feel something stirring inside-stop reading immediately. You might be one of us. And once you know that, it's only a matter of time before they sense it too, and they'll come for you.**"

"I'm reading this and I'm a half-blood. Why am I not feeling something stirring inside?" I ask Percy, who just stuck out his tongue at me.

"**Don't say I didn't warn you.**"

"That's a warning?"

"**My name is Percy Jackson.**"

"Hi book-Percy" Nico says next to me.

"**I'm twelve years old. Until a few months ago, I was a boarding student at Yancy Academy, a private school for troubled kids in upstate New York.**"

"Just like BAG" I hear Sadie say.

"'BAG'?" Percy asks

"Brookly Academy for the_ Gifted_"

"Wait, isn't Drew studying there?" Annabeth asks Percy.

"You guys know Drew?" she stares at them. She leans in forward, as if trying to memorize every single word that will come out from their mouth

"Yeah, she's the new head counselor of the Aphrodite cabin"

Sadie slumps back, "Great! My arch-enemy in school is a powerful demigod! and a child of the goddess of beauty and love, no less!"

"You know her?" they ask.

"Yeah, she leads these group of girls in school which we call 'The plastic bags'. Now, you're telling me her face is natural!" she whines.

"She isn't powerful, she can't even properly swing a sword. She can charmspeak, though." Annabeth says, describing one of those annoying Aphrodite. Silena was WAY nicer than her.

"Charmspeak?"

"You can charm someone into doing something using only your voice. It's a rare thing for a child of Aphrodite to get it."

Sadie takes a beanie from the floor and she hits her face with it. She suddenly perks up and says, "Wait, you said 'new'? Who was the old one? and what happened to her?"

Percy and Annabeth saddened. This was silently agreed by the camp to be private information, but Sadie doesn't know.

"The old head counselor was Silena Beauregard. She was very beautiful and very kind. She died in the war and she was..." Percy trailed off.

"A spy for Kronos, our enemy. She never willingly did so, only because our friend Luke persuaded her." Nico says.

"Drew never went into war though. Even if Silena pulled herself together after the death of her boyfriend and rallied the Aphrodite cabin out to the war, Drew stayed behind. I saw her hiding in the infirmary" Percy says. Sadie smiles and mutters "wimp" before telling me to continue reading.

"**Am I a troubled** **kid?"**. "Depends on how you describe 'troubled'" Nico says.

"I'm not troubled" Percy says

"**Yeah. You could say that.**"

"See, Thalia agrees with me" Percy tells Nico

"I was reading from the book, Percy." I say

"Ha! Your old self agrees with me!" Nico says.

"**I could start at any point in my short miserable life to prove it, but things really started going bad last May, when our sixth-grade class took a field trip to Manhattan- twenty-eight mental-case kids and two teachers on a yellow school bus, heading to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to look at ancient Greek and Roman stuff.**"

"That sounds amazing!" Annabeth says

**"I know-it sounds like torture. Most Yancy field trips were."**

Percy apologetically grins at Annabeth, who was glaring at him.

**"But Mr. Brunner, our Latin teacher, was leading this trip, so I had hopes."**

"He sounds nice" Zia says. We all nod, knowing that this is Chiron.

**"Mr. Brunner was this middle-aged guy in a motorized wheelchair. He had thinning hair and a scruffy beard and a frayed tweed jacket, which always smelled like coffee. You wouldn't think he'd be cool, but he told stories and jokes and let us play games in class. He also had this awesome collection of Roman armor and weapons, so he was the only teacher whose class didn't put me to** **sleep."**

"I want a teacher like that" Sadie smiles.

**"I hoped the trip would be okay. At least, I hoped that for once I wouldn't get in trouble. ****Boy, was I wrong." **

"Since when where you right, Perce?" Nico says.

"When I decided to trust you in going to the River Styx" Percy replies proudly.

"**See, bad things happen to me on field trips. Like at my fifth-grade school, when we went to the Saratoga battlefield, I had this accident with a Revolutionary War cannon. I wasn't aiming for the school bus, but of course I got expelled anyway. And before that, at my fourth-grade school, when we took a behind- the-scenes tour of the Marine World shark pool, I sort of hit the wrong lever on the catwalk and our class took an unplanned swim. And the time before that... Well, you get the idea."**

"Yes we do" Carter says, laughing. We were all laughing imagining everything.

"How did you activate the war cannon?" Annabeth asks him

He shrugs, "I don't know, sudden moment of smartness?"

Nico snorts, "That's a rare sudden moment"

**"This trip, I was determined to be good."**

"Lying to yourself is bad, Percy" I say to him

**"All the way into the city, I put up with Nancy Bobofit, the freckly, redheaded kleptomaniac girl, hitting my best friend Grover in the back of the head with chunks of peanut butter-and-ketchup sandwich."**

"That's... unhygienic" Anubis mutters

"Says the dude that wraps up bodies and removes organs" Nico says

"That was the ancient times!"

**"Grover was an easy** **target."**

"Not anymore" I hear Percy say

**"He was scrawny. He cried when he got frustrated."**

"He still does" Annabeth says. The Egyptians look at them confused.

"Grover is Percy's bestfriend" she explains.

**"He must've been held back several grades, because he was the only sixth grader with acne and the start of a wispy beard on his chin. On top of all that, he was crippled. He had a note excusing him from PE for the rest of his life because he had some kind of muscular disease in his legs. He walked funny, like every step hurt him, but don't let that fool you. You should've seen him run when it was enchilada day in the cafeteria."**

"Ah, yes, enchilada day. I thought Grover became a track star that day" Percy says dreamily

"Now, you made me hungry for an enchilada" Sadie says.

"**Anyway, Nancy Bobofit was throwing wads of sandwich that stuck in his curly brown hair"**

"Gross" Zia says

**"and she knew I couldn't do anything back to her because I was already on probation. The headmaster had threatened me with death by in-school suspension if anything bad, embarrassing, or even mildly entertaining happened on this trip"**

"Tsk, tsk, attacking when your enemy is down. that's foul play" I hear Carter say

"or a very big advantage, brother. You were always a goody-two shoes" Sadie says

**"'I'm going to kill her,' I mumbled" ****  
**

"Why didn't you?" Zia asks him

**"Grover tried to calm me down. "It's okay. I like peanut butter.'"**

"Oh, Grover. Since when will you toughen up and kick her ass?" I say

**"He dodged another piece of Nancy's lunch. "**

"Ninja reflexes" Nico says. We laugh

"or Satyr reflexes" Percy says. The Egyptians just became confused. The poor saps probably don't know what a "satyr" is.

**"'That's it.' I started to get up, but Grover pulled me back to my seat." **

"Why did you pull him back?!" Carter exclaims

**"'You're already on probation,' he reminded me. 'You know who'll get blamed if anything happens.'"**

"It will be yours truly" Percy says

**"Looking back on it, I wish I'd decked Nancy Bobofit right then and there. In-school suspension would've been nothing compared to the mess I was about to get myself into."**

"You never did thinks things through" Annabeth tells him.

"That's why you love me and that is another reason why I need you in my life" he replies, smiling.

**"Mr. Brunner led the museum tour."**

"At least he lead the museum tour. If he didn't, Percy would not be interested about his history" Annabeth says

**"He rode up front in his wheelchair, guiding us through the big echoey galleries, past marble statues and glass cases full of really old black-and-orange pottery."**

"'echoey'?" Nico asks

"Yes, and I rocked it" Percy says.

"I bet I can destroy twice as more museum artifact than you in an hour"

"Oh, yeah. Bring it on, Death Breath"

Annabeth hits them both behind the head. I scoot away from the three of them a bit. The Egyptians looked at them, amused.

"At least _she_ keeps them in line" Zia says to the siblings.

**"It blew my mind that this stuff had survived for two thousand, three thousand years."**

"Give or take some centuries" Anubis says.

**"He gathered us around a thirteen-foot-tall stone column with a big sphinx on the top, and started telling us how it was a grave marker, a stele, for a girl about our age. He told us about the carvings on the sides. I was trying to listen to what he had to say, because it was kind of interesting, but everybody around me was talking, and every time I told them to shut up, the other teacher chaperone, Mrs. Dodds, would give me the evil eye."**

"Alecto?" I ask Nico and Percy. They nod.

"Whose Alecto?" Sadie asks.

Before her brother can answer, Percy says, "You'll find out later"

**"Mrs. Dodds was this little math teacher from Georgia who always wore a black leather jacket, even though she was fifty years old. She looked mean enough to ride a Harley right into your locker. She had come to Yancy halfway through the year, when our last math teacher had a nervous breakdown."**

"Whenever a teacher is gone, a monster in disguise would replace it" Nico says.

**"From her first day, Mrs. Dodds loved Nancy Bobofit and figured I was devil spawn."**

"You're actually a sea god spawn"

"Shut up, Nico. I know"

**"She would point her crooked finger at me and say, "Now, honey, " real sweet, and I knew I was going to get after-school detention for a month."**

"The 'now honey' part is the one that's creeping me out" Carter says.

**"One time, after she'd made me erase answers out of old math workbooks until midnight, I told Grover I didn't think Mrs. Dodds was human. He looked at me, real serious, and said, "You're absolutely right. "**

"Grover, you're already telling him!"

"Quiet, Thalia. and continue reading"

**"Mr. Brunner kept talking about Greek funeral art."**

"What is the point of having funeral art when the one who is 'celebrating' it can't see it?" Nico says.

"Like baby showers?"

"Yes! Thank you Annabeth"

**"Finally, Nancy Bobofit snickered something about the naked guy on the stele, and I turned around and said, 'Will you shut up?'"**

"They're so immature" Anubis says.

**"It came out louder than I meant it to."  
**

"Of course it did" we all say.

**"The whole group laughed. Mr. Brunner stopped his story. '****Mr. Jackson, ' he said, 'did you have a comment?'"**

"The phrase 'did you have a comment' always ticks me off" Sadie says. Percy, Annabeth and Nico nods in agreement.

**"My face was totally red. I said, 'No, sir. '"**

"Ah yes, the 'no sir' response. Always got me out of sticky situations" Sadie smiles.

**"Mr. Brunner pointed to one of the pictures on the stele. 'Perhaps you'll tell us what this picture represents?'. ****I looked at the carving, and felt a flush of relief, because I actually recognized it. "That's Kronos eating his kids, right?"**

"Out of all the steles, that is the one Chi- I mean Mr. Brunner had to point." Annabeth says. She almost spoiled to them Chiron's identity.

**"'Yes,' Mr. Brunner said, obviously not satisfied. 'And he did this because ... '"**

"Because he got jealous of unborn infants" Nico says. Hades was the first to be eaten, so of course he hate Kronos. Although, pretty much everybody does hate him.

**"'Well... ' I racked my brain to remember. 'Kronos was the king god, and-'"**

"God?" Me, Nico, Annabeth and, surprisingly, Carter stares at Percy.

"I was twelve!"

**"'God?' Mr. Brunner asked. "**

"See, even Ch-Mr. Brunner thinks so to" Nico says.

**"'Titan, ' I corrected myself. 'And ... He didn't trust his kids, who were the gods. So, um, Kronos ate them, right? But his wife hid baby Zeus, and gave Kronos a rock to eat instead. And later, when Zeus grew up, he tricked his dad, Kronos, into barfing up his brothers and sisters-'**

**'Eeew!" said one of the girls behind me."**

"Man up" the girls in the room say

**"'-and so there was this big fight between the gods and the Titans,' I continued, 'and the gods won. '"**

"You just summarized a very spectacular fight into one, plain sentence" Annabeth says

**"Some snickers from the group. **

**Behind me, Nancy Bobofit mumbled to a friend, "Like we're going to use this in real life. Like it's going to say on our job applications, 'Please explain why Kronos ate his kids. '"'**

"Ugh. I want to throw her over Empire State building"

**"'And why, Mr. Jackson,' Brunner said, 'to paraphrase Miss Bobofit's excellent question, does this matter in real life?'"**

"Busted!" some of them say

**"'Busted, ' Grover muttered."**

"Weird"

**"'Shut up, ' Nancy hissed, her face even brighter red than her hair."**

"Then she must be really red" Nico says.

**"At least Nancy got packed, too. Mr. Brunner was the only one who ever caught her saying anything wrong. He had radar ears. "**

"Like a horse's" I laugh. My cousins and Annabeth laugh, but the Egyptians were staring at us weirdly.

_Later_, I mouth.

**"I thought about his question, and shrugged. 'I don't know, sir.'" **"You never did, Perce" I say

**"'I see.' Mr. Brunner looked disappointed. 'Well, half credit, Mr. Jackson. Zeus did indeed feed Kronos a mixture of mustard and wine, which made him disgorge his other five children, who, of course, being immortal gods, had been living and growing up completely undigested in the Titan's stomach. The gods defeated their father, sliced him to pieces with his own scythe, and scattered his remains in Tartarus, the darkest part of the Underworld. On that happy note, it's time for lunch. Mrs. Dodds, would you lead us back outside?'"**

"Well, that was quick" I say.

**"****The class drifted off, the girls holding their stomachs, the guys pushing each other around and acting like doofuses."**

"Just a normal school" Sadie say.

**"Grover and I were about to follow when Mr. Brunner said, 'Mr. Jackson.' **

**I knew that was coming"****  
**

"Never predict your teachers. you'll get in trouble" I say to him.

"Yeah, I know" he answers.

**"I told Grover to keep going. Then I turned toward Mr. Brunner. 'Sir?'**

**Mr. Brunner had this look that wouldn't let you go- intense brown eyes that could've been a thousand years old and had seen everything."**

_Or older,_ I thought.

**"'You must learn the answer to my question,' Mr. Brunner told me.  
**

**'About the Titans?'**

**'About real life. And how your studies apply to it.'"**

"The Titans too. It might help you defeat them" Nico says.

**"'Oh.'**

**'What you learn from me, " he said, "is vitally important. I expect you to treat it as such. I will accept only the best from you, Percy Jackson.'**

**I wanted to get angry, this guy pushed me so hard."**

"Don't you dare, Jackson" I say.

**"I**** mean, sure, it was kind of cool on tournament days, when he dressed up in a suit of Roman armor and shouted: "What ho!'" and challenged us, sword-point against chalk, to run to the board and name every Greek and Roman person who had ever lived, and their mother, and what god they worshiped."**

"That is awesome!" everybody says, except Percy, who has experienced it first-hand.

"It is"

**"But Mr. Brunner expected me to be as good as everybody else, despite the fact that I have dyslexia and attention deficit disorder and I had never made above a C- in my life. No, he didn't expect me to be as good; he expected me to be better. And I just couldn't learn all those names and facts, much less spell them correctly."**

"Do I still need to tutor you?" Annabeth says to him.

"Annabeth, I was twelve! I'm sixteen now, I now them know. Some of them even personally" he mumbles.

**"I mumbled something about trying harder, while Mr. Brunner took one long sad look at the stele, like he'd been at this girl's funeral."  
**

"There is a huge possibility that he did" Nico mutters.

**"He told me to go outside and eat my lunch."  
**

"Of course he did" Anubis says.

**"The class gathered on the front steps of the museum, where we could watch the foot traffic along Fifth Avenue.**

**Overhead, a huge storm was brewing, with clouds blacker than I'd ever seen over the city. I figured maybe it was global warming or something, because the weather all across New York state had been weird since Christmas. We'd had massive snow storms, flooding, wildfires from lightning strikes. I wouldn't have been surprised if this was a hurricane blowing in."**

"Dad?" I ask him.

"I thought you know?" Percy asks me.

"Well, I'm sorry but I was busy being a tr-. I was busy protecting the camp" I say. I almost told the others that I was a plant before.

**"Nobody else seemed to notice. Some of the guys were pelting pigeons with Lunchables crackers. Nancy Bobofit was trying to pickpocket something from a lady's purse, and, of course, Mrs. Dodds wasn't seeing a thing."  
**

"Favoritism is a cruel thing" Carter comments

**"Grover and I sat on the edge of the fountain, away from the others. We thought that maybe if we did that, everybody wouldn't know we were from that school- the school for loser freaks who couldn't make it elsewhere.**

**"'Detention?' Grover asked.**

**'Nah,' I said. 'Not from Brunner. I just wish he'd lay off me sometimes. I mean-I'm not a genius.'"**

"You never were, Percy. Genius is not your thing" Nico smiles. Percy glares at him but Annabeth kisses him on the cheek.

"If you were a genius, we wouldn't be together, Seaweed Brain" she says.

"Ugh, PDA!" I say

"PDA?" Anubis asks

"Public Display of Affection"

**"Grover didn't say anything for a while. Then, when I thought he was going to give me some deep philosophical comment to make me feel better, he said, 'Can I have your apple?'"  
**

The whole room was filled with laughter.

"Gods, that's funny" Carter says.

**"I didn't have much of an appetite, so I let him take it."**

"Of course, you did"

**"I watched the stream of cabs going down Fifth Avenue, and thought about my mom's apartment, only a little ways uptown from where we sat. I hadn't seen her since Christmas. I wanted so bad to jump in a taxi and head home. She'd hug me and be glad to see me, but she'd be disappointed, too. She'd send me right back to Yancy, remind me that I had to try harder, even if this was my sixth school in six years and I was probably going to be kicked out again. I wouldn't be able to stand that sad look she'd give me."**

"Aww, Percy has a soft spot for his mother" Zia and Nico say. They looked at each other, saying, "That was weird"

"Of course I have a soft spot for my mother. She suffered for me" Percy says.

"Yeah, Aunt Sally is really nice" Nico says.

"And the cookies are delicious" Annabeth says

"_Blue _cookies" Percy says, and they had a quick trip to memoryland.

**"Mr. Brunner parked his wheelchair at the base of the handicapped ramp. He ate celery while he read a paperback novel. A red umbrella stuck up from the back of his chair, making it look like a motorized cafe table."**

"That would be awesome" Carter says.

"I wonder if I could ask somebody from the Hephaestus cabin make wheelchairs like that for the infirmary. So they won't get cooped up in their for a long time" Annabeth mutters.

******"I was about to unwrap my sandwich when Nancy Bobofit appeared in front of me with her ugly friends-I guess she'd gotten tired of stealing from the tourists-and dumped her half-eaten lunch in Grover's** **lap."**

"Of course she did" Sadie says

******"'Oops.' She grinned at me with her crooked teeth. Her freckles were orange, as if somebody had spray- painted her face with liquid Cheetos. **

**I tried to stay cool. The school counselor had told me a million times, 'Count to ten, get control of your ****temper.'"**

"That never works" I say, "You'll end up getting angrier"

**"But I was so mad my mind went blank. A wave roared in my ears." **

"The key word there, ladies and gentlemen, is _wave_" Nico says.

**"I don't remember touching her, but the next thing I knew, Nancy was sitting on her butt in the fountain, screaming, 'Percy pushed me!'" **

"Crybaby" I hear someone say.

**"Mrs. Dodds materialized next to us."**

"That's just plain creepy" Carter says

**"Some of the kids were whispering: 'Did you see-'**

**'-the water-'**

**'-like it grabbed her-''**

"Yes, marvel at the amazing powers of the son of Poseidon, mortals" Percy sarcastically says at his former classmates.

"You do know that this is just a book?" I say

"Yes, I know. I just want to rub it in their faces that I became awesome and they didn't"

**"I didn't know what they were talking about. All I knew was that I was in trouble again. **

**As soon as Mrs. Dodds was sure poor little Nancy was okay, promising to get her a new shirt at the museum gift shop, etc. , etc. , Mrs. Dodds turned on me. There was a triumphant fire in her eyes, as if I'd done something she'd been waiting for all semester. 'Now, honey-'"  
**

"It would have been more tolerable if she didn't include the 'Now, honey' part" Sadie says.

**"I know, " I grumbled. "A month erasing workbooks.'**

**That wasn't the right thing to say."**

"Telling the teacher that you know the punishment is a fatal move" Zia says.

"Experience?" Carter asks her. She nodded.

**"'Come with me,' Mrs. Dodds said.**

'Wait!' Grover yelped. 'It was me. I pushed her. '"

"Oh, Grover, why are you brave at the wrong time?" Annabeth says

**"I stared at him, stunned. I couldn't believe he was trying to cover for me. Mrs. Dodds scared Grover to death.**

**She glared at him so hard his whiskery chin trembled.**

**'I don't think so, Mr. Underwood,' she said.**

**'But-'**

**'You-will-stay-here.'**

**Grover looked at me desperately.**

**'It's okay, man,' I told him. 'Thanks for trying.'**

**'Honey,' Mrs. Dodds barked at me. 'Now.'**

**Nancy Bobofit smirked.**

**I gave her my deluxe I'll-kill-you-later stare."**

"I already mastered that" Nico says

"Oh yeah, try me" Anubis volunteered.

I felt sorry for the god. Nico was already scary with the _I'm-thinking-of-killing-you_ stare, what more if it's the _deluxe I'll-kill-you-later_?

Anubis looked at Nico, and then I notice that his hair is actually black, not brown. Silly me.

Nico first simply stared at him. A few seconds later, Anubis says, "That's your stare? I've seen worst in-" he was cut of when he widen his eyes then gasped loudly.

"The staring part was just a warm-up" Nico smiled. Anubis looked...afraid. Sadie was covering her eyes muttering, "Is he done?"

Zia comforts her and I continue reading.

**"Then I turned to face Mrs. Dodds, but she wasn't there. She was standing at the museum entrance, way at the top of the steps, gesturing impatiently at me to come on.**

**How'd she get there so fast?"**

"Magic" I say sarcastically. The siblings and Zia looks at me with an expression that probably means _"Are you kidding me?"_

**"I have moments like that a lot, when my brain falls asleep or something, and the next thing I know I've missed something, as if a puzzle piece fell out of the universe and left me staring at the blank place behind it. ****The school counselor told me this was part of the ADHD, my brain misinterpreting things."**

"But that was not one of those moments" Percy says.

**"I wasn't so sure."  
**

"I agree with the twelve year-old Percy" Carter says

**"I went after Mrs. Dodds."  
**

"Wrong choice" Nico says.

**"****Halfway up the steps, I glanced back at Grover. He was looking pale, cutting his eyes between me and Mr. Brunner, like he wanted Mr. Brunner to notice what was going on, but Mr. Brunner was absorbed in his novel. **

**I looked back up. Mrs. Dodds had disappeared again. She was now inside the building, at the end of the entrance hall.**

Okay, I thought. She's going to make me buy a new shirt for Nancy at the gift shop.

But apparently that wasn't the plan. "

"It's never the plan" Percy mutters.

**"I followed her deeper into the museum. When I finally caught up to her, we were back in the Greek and Roman section. **

**Except for us, the gallery was** **empty".  
**

"The best place to kill an unsuspecting student" Nico mumbles.

**"Mrs. Dodds stood with her arms crossed in front of a big marble frieze of the Greek gods. She was making this weird noise in her throat, like growling. **

**Even without the noise, I would've been nervous. It's weird being alone with a teacher, especially Mrs. Dodds. Something about the way she looked at the frieze, as if she wanted to pulverize it..."**

"Or you" Anubis says.

**" 'You've been giving us problems, honey,' she said."**

Sadie groans, "Does she really need to include the 'honey' part?"

**"I did the safe thing. I said, 'Yes, ma'am.' "**

"That was a safe thing?" Annabeth asks

**"She tugged on the cuffs of her leather jacket. "Did you really think you would get away with it?"**

**The look in her eyes was beyond mad. It was evil.**

She's a teacher, I thought nervously. It's not like she's going to hurt me."  


"You thought wrong, Perce" Zia says.

**I said, 'I'll-I'll try harder, ma'am. '**

Thunder shook the building.

'We are not fools, Percy Jackson, ' Mrs. Dodds said. "It was only a matter of time before we found you out. Confess, and you will suffer less pain.' "

"_less_ pain" Carter points out.

**"I didn't know what she was talking about.**

All I could think of was that the teachers must've found the illegal stash of candy I'd been selling out of my dorm room. Or maybe they'd realized I got my essay on Tom Sawyer from the Internet without ever reading the book and now they were going to take away my grade. Or worse, they were going to make me read the book."

"Are you really THAT against books?" Annabeth looks to Percy.

"No, but I can't read them because of a little thing called dyslexia" he replies.

**" 'Well?' she demanded. **

**'Ma'am, I don't... '**

**'Your time is up, ' she hissed."**

"Hissing is never a good sign..." Anubis comments

**"Then the weirdest thing happened. Her eyes began to glow like barbecue coals. Her fingers stretched, turning into talons. Her jacket melted into large, leathery wings. She wasn't human. She was a shriveled hag with bat wings and claws and a mouth full of yellow fangs, and she was about to slice me to ribbons."**

"A fury?" Carter exclaims, both questionably and in exclamatory

"How do you know it's a fury?" Nico asks.

"My brother reads a lot" Sadie explains

**"Then things got even stranger. **

**Mr. Brunner, who'd been out in front of the museum a minute before, wheeled his chair into the doorway of the gallery, holding a pen in his hand. **

**'What ho, Percy! he shouted, and tossed the pen through the air."**

Some of them laughed.

"_What ho?"_ Nico says

"Ch- Mr. Brunner is just cool like that" Percy says.

**"Mrs. Dodds lunged at me. **

**With a yelp, I dodged and felt talons slash the air next to my ear. I snatched the ballpoint pen out of the air, but when it hit my hand, it wasn't a pen anymore. It was a sword-Mr. Brunner's bronze sword, which he always used on tournament day.**

**Mrs. Dodds spun toward me with a murderous look in her eyes. **

**My knees were jelly. My hands were shaking so bad I almost dropped the sword. **

**She snarled, "Die, honey!"**

**And she flew straight at me. **

**Absolute terror ran through my body. I did the only thing that came naturally: I swung the sword."**

"Signs that you're a demigod: Weapons come naturally at you" I say.

**"The metal blade hit her shoulder and passed clean through her body as if she were made of water. Hisss!"**

"Congratulations! You just killed your first monster! And a Fury, no less" Nico fake-congratulates him.

"Monsters don't die, Nico they just reform back and will hunt as again" Annabeth says.

"No, I mean- He just-, Ugh, you know what I mean" he says

"We don't" Sadie says. Percy tells her that they will soon find out.

**"Mrs. Dodds was a sand castle in a power fan. She exploded into yellow powder, vaporized on the spot, leaving nothing but the smell of sulfur and a dying screech and a chill of evil in the air, as if those two glowing red eyes were still watching me."**

"they have that kind of effect when a person kills them" Nico explains

**"I was alone. **

**There was a ballpoint pen in my hand. **

**Mr. Brunner wasn't there. Nobody was there but me. **

**My hands were still trembling. My lunch must've been contaminated with magic mushrooms or something. **

**Had I imagined the whole thing?"**

"Nope" everybody says.

**"I went back outside.**

**It had started to rain.**

Grover was sitting by the fountain, a museum map tented over his head. Nancy Bobofit was still standing there, soaked from her swim in the fountain, grumbling to her ugly friends. When she saw me, she said, 'I hope Mrs. Kerr whipped your butt.' "  


"Who?" almost all of us, except Percy says.

**"****I said, 'Who?'** "

"That was weird" Zia says.

******"'Our teacher. Duh!'**

I blinked. We had no teacher named Mrs. Kerr. I asked Nancy what she was talking about.

She just rolled her eyes and turned away.

I asked Grover where Mrs. Dodds was.

He said, 'Who?'"

"Even he doesn't know" Carter mutters

**"But he paused first, and he wouldn't look at me, so I thought he was messing with me. **

**'Not funny, man,' I told him. 'This is serious. '**

**Thunder boomed overhead. **

**I saw Mr. Brunner sitting under his red umbrella, reading his book, as if he'd never moved. **

**I went over to him. **

**He looked up, a little distracted. 'Ah, that would be my pen. Please bring your own writing utensil in the future, Mr. Jackson.' "**

"That was an awesome dialogue" I say.

**"I handed Mr. Brunner his pen. I hadn't even realized I was still holding it. **

**'Sir, ' I said, "where's Mrs. Dodds?'**

**He stared at me blankly. 'Who?' "**

"You know, the old lady that became a winged monster" Sadie mutters.**  
**

**" 'The other chaperone. Mrs. Dodds. The pre-algebra teacher.'**

He frowned and sat forward, looking mildly concerned. 'Percy, there is no Mrs. Dodds on this trip. As far as I know, there has never been a Mrs. Dodds at Yancy Academy. Are you feeling all right?' "

"Well that was a mysterious ending" I say.

I bookmark the next chapter with my finger, "Who wants to read next?"

"We should probably go to sleep. It's already late" Annabeth says, pointing to a round clock hanging on the wall across from us. I never noticed that.

It read 12:20 am. So? I'm still awake at this time. Sometimes even tracking down a renegade monster.

"Yep" Carter stands up and stretches. He begins to walk towards the double doors and enters.

He then sticks his head out and says to us, "Well, does anybody want to accompany me towards the bedrooms or will I get to explore alone?"

We all stand and follow him. The second floor was just a long hallway with a screen door going to the balcony on the end.

The first room on our left read "Perseus Jackson", followed by "Annabeth Chase", "Nico di Angelo", respectively.

On our right were "Carter Kane", "Sadie Kane", "Zia Rashid" and "Anubis". They all to their respective rooms and went to sleep.

Mine was at the end of the hallway, across Anubis'. When I open it, there lay a plush ,light blue bed with white pillows. Their were posters of rock band and other things I like on the wall. There was even a rack for holding my bow, arrows and sword. I place my collapsible Mace canister (which I still keep) on my nightstand and drift to sleep.

**A/N: Hey look! The next chapter :D. This is (so far) the longest chapter I have written. I hope you enjoyed it.**

**If you are a fan of Divergent, please check out my fanfic, _day at the Beach.__  
_**

**reviews are acceptable. I'm thinking of slipping Grover in the story? What do you guys think?**


	4. Chapter 2 (PJATO)

**A/N: Hey! So, I notice that I haven't got that many reviews.**

**Not that I'm forcing you to give me reviews, it's that I don't feel like continuing if I know that not that much people actually enjoys reading it. Kinda takes out your motivation**

**So, anyways! I'll be focusing on 2 fanfics now, this one and my other one (A Divergent fic). Don't be surprised that I won't update soon.**

**Oh, and, if you have ANY questions, just tell them :D. I'll be happy to answer.**

**Carter's POV**

I wake up and find myself in my room. I go to the little bathroom and shower. I take a linen shirt out of my dresser. I decide to wear the pants I wore yesterday (It didn't get THAT dirty, anyways) and I wear my slippers and go outside.

When I saw a room in front of me, I stagger back. There never was a room in front of mine before. On the door, a sign was written there. It read "Percy Jackson"

Oh right, I forgot. We were in this weird mansion in the middle of nowhere with demigods. But my room looked like the one back at Brooklyn, It felt like I was back at home.

I smell something cooking downstairs, and it smells delicious. I follow it and I find Annabeth and Percy in the kitchen.

They are surrounded by mixing bowls, cracked egg shells, and other things for cooking. The table behind them was already set; 8 plates, 8 cups, 8 pairs of spoons and forks. There was also a plate of pancakes in the middle.

Annabeth had her hair in the ponytail, cooking something, while Percy was next to her, his hand wrapped around her waist, saying,

"Come on, please. Just one bite"

"No Percy. Besides, they're still not cooked"

"Not _that._ Those on the table. Just one"

"No. I bet when you meant _one,_ you don't mean _one piece_, but _one_ _mouthful_, Which is probably 5 or 7"

"Ehem" I say. Both of them turned and see me standing there.

"Hey Carter!" Annabeth says. She has a thin layer of powder on her face. Her hair also has some. Percy was in the same condition, but his clothes were also covered, but Annabeth was wearing an apron.

"You're finally awake!" Percy says happily. He then looks at Annabeth, who just rolled her eyes and says, "Okay. But save some for others"

Percy releases his grip on her waist and goes to the table and gets 2 or 3 pancakes into his plate. I then realized that the pancakes are _blue_, but Percy doesn't mind.

I go to the refrigerator and get a pitcher of water, maple syrup and butter. I sit down across from Percy and get one pancake. I begin poking it"

"Eat it. It's good" Percy says, his mouth half-full of the blue food.

"Why is it blue?" I ask

"Percy likes the color blue, and his mother went a long way to make almost everything blue, including his food. She then taught me how to make them." Annabeth says, flipping a blue pancake.

"But why?"

"Maybe it's just her way of saying that everything is possible. Like food can be blue" Percy says.

I cut a slice from it and place it in my mouth. It was amazing, like the color blue added flavor. I begin digging in. Percy then gives me the bottle of chocolate syrup (which he probably took from the fridge).

"Place some on it. It'll taste greater" he says. I pour some and he was right. It was greater.

I hear three footsteps go down the staircase. I turn and see Sadie, Zia and Thalia. Sadie was now wearing a pair of cargo pants and her combat boots, but her shirt was made from black linen. Zia dressed the same with me. Thalia still wore the thing she had on yesterday.

Thalia saw what we were eating and her eyes widen. She then runs to Percy, who were getting another 3, and stops him.

"Don't you dare eat them all, Seaweed Brain, or I'll turn you into Einstein's twin" she threatens him. She places the pancakes on a plate but Percy fights back

"Oh yeah? I like to see you try, Pine cone Face" he says, his mouth full of pancakes. Thalia pushes him off the chair and begins getting his stack of pancakes. Percy jumps back and they wrestle on the ground.

Annabeth places another batch of pancakes in the table and she kicked the two demigods.

"Seriously, your cousinly fights are getting annoying, especially if it's over food" She says and begins to make another batch of blue pancakes.

"They're cousins?" I say

"Yep, Zeus, Poseidon and Hades _are_ brothers" Annabeth says.

The two off them stands up, dust themselves and begins eating. Zia goes and sits at the vacant chair next to Sadie while Sadie sits next to me and asks "Are those pancakes"

I nod

"Why are they blue?"

"Percy likes blue food" I say. Those three words must've explained enough, because she shuts up and takes two.

When she was pouring syrup on it, she asks "Is it good?"

"Try it. That'll answer your question" Zia says. She was already eating.

Sadie takes a bit and her face brightens. She then continues to eat. After I ate a total of 5 pancakes (and still hungry), Percy stands up and says, "I'm going to wake Nico"

"Why doesn't he go down here himself?" Sadie asks.

"He sleeps late. One time, he slept for a day straight" Thalia says, placing 3 pancakes on her mouth. Percy goes upstairs with a plate of pancakes in hand.

Few minutes later (and a bunch of pancakes being eaten), Percy goes down with an angry Nico over his shoulder.

"Let me go!" he complains. I notice that the plate was empty

"Nope" Percy answers, popping the "p".

He arrives the kitchen and drops Nico on the chair Thalia pulled back with her leg.

Nico sat there, glaring at Percy but gets 8 pancakes from the stack.

"That's a lot of pancakes" Thalia mutters while drinking.

"Says the girl who finished more than 10" he mutters back.

"Hey! I only finished 8!" she replies.

"What did you do to him, Percy?" I ask the demigod.

"Well, Nico kinda sleeps with his mouth open. I decided to give him a small 'breakfast in bed' by shoving the 3 pancakes on his mouth" Percy replies, grinning.

Few minutes later, Anubis goes down and sits next to me, being the only seat available besides the one next to Percy, which was probably reserved for Annabeth.

"So, what are today's plans?" he asks, eating only 2 pancakes. I didn't know gods need to eat.

"Hmm, lets see. From 8:00 am, which is now, to 12:00 am, read the book. 12 to 1, Lunch. 1 to 2, a bit of exercise. 2 to 6 read the books. 6 to 7, dinner. 7 and so on, read the book" Percy says.

"What do you mean '7 to so on'?. We won't stop at a specific time?" I ask

"No! What if we are getting to an amazing part and then 'Oh look guys, we have to sleep. We'll leave you with a cliffhanger'" Thalia says.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Page Break^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

"Okay, where did we stop?" Annabeth says, sitting next to Percy. We were now at the living room. We sat where we

"We left off at chapter 2" Thalia answers. Just then, another vortex popped out on the ceiling in the middle of our circle. A tall, scrawny guy dropped from it.

When I looked at him again, I guess that the word 'guy' doesn't describe him fully. His top half was a scrawny kid with reddish-brown, curly hair and his face had a case of acne. He also had a wispy goat tee. I see, covered in his mass of curls, are horns. and not just random horns, but goat horns. He had an orange shirt, like the ones Percy and Annabeth wore yesterday, and slung over his shoulder is a panpipe.

His lower body was unusual. He had legs of a goat which here covered in reddish-brown fur, like his hair. He also had a goat tail, which matched his goat tee on his face.

When he stood up, he saw us and staggered back, tripping over Thalia's outstretched leg.

"Grover!" the demigods, except Nico, happily exclaimed. They go to him and help him up.

"Bleeeeh" he says, like a goat. He brightens up when he saw the four's faces. He then tackles Percy in a hug.

"Dude! Where were youuuu" he says.

"Calm down, G-man. I'm fine." he says. Goat man turns to us and says, "They small _bad_, Perce." he bleats.

I smell my arm. I didn't smell bad. Heck, I even showered!

"They're okay, Grover. They don't mean any harm" Percy reassures

"But they smell different. And different is bad. They all smell dangerous and weird, especially him" he points at Anubis, who just raised his eyebrows and sniffs his shirt.

"Man, I can feel my fur shake. He's powerful, Perce. All of them" he tells Percy.

"Dude, CALM DOWN. They are friends. They are Egyptians" Percy says.

"that's worse!" Goat man exclaims, stomping his foot-I mean hoof- on the ground.

"They are alright, Grover. Mother and the other gods, including their gods, sent us here to _make peace_, so to speak" Annabeth says.

He calms down when Annabeth explains.

"Okay. I believe you." he says. He turns to us, "so I'm guessing you're demigods?" he asks

I stand up, "No, we formerly hosted the Egyptian gods. I guess they sorta left a scent on us".

"Hosted? You mean, you're not their child with mortals?" he asks

"Ew, no. I don't want to be Isis' child" I hear Sadie say.

"No, we are not. Just hosts. But they now retreated back, and we are trained to fight, following their _paths_" I say

He nods, as if understanding, but his eyes land on Anubis. "You're different. You smell..." he stops, as if finding the right word, "stronger"

"I'm a god" Anubis calmly answers. Grover's eyes widen.

"Oh my gods, don't punish me. I didn't know! I-" he was cut off when Nico slapped him upside the head.

"He's not like _our_ gods, Grover. He doesn't blow you to bits just because you treated them badly in their mortal form" Percy says. Grover calms down.

"Grover, this is Carter, Zia, Sadie and Anubis. They are Egyptian magicians, except for Anubis, who is the Egyptian god of death and funerals" Annabeth says.

"Guys, this is Grover, a satyr" she tells us. We say 'hi' as if he didn't just ramble a lot.

"So, we were just reading about my adventures. We are still in the first book and we just finished the first chapter, which was the field trip in the museum. When we met Alecto?" Percy says. Grover nods then takes a seat between Thalia and me.

"I'm going to read next" Sadie volunteers, and gets the book from Thalia's hands.

**Nico's POV**

So, Grover just dropped out of nowhere and began rambling about the Egyptians and that they smell weird. That's...normal.

**"THREE OLD LADIES KNIT THE SOCKS OF DEATH"** Sadie says.

"Ugh, why did I just have to drop down at this chapter?" Grover mutters

**"I was used to the occasional weird experience, but usually they were over quickly. This twenty- four/seven hallucination was more than I could handle. For the rest of the school year, the entire campus seemed to be playing some kind of trick on me. The students acted as if they were completely and totally convinced that Mrs. Kerr-a perky blond woman whom I'd never seen in my life until she got on our bus at the end of the field trip-had been our pre-algebra teacher since Christmas"**

"That is called 'The Mist', Perce" Grover says to Percy.

"I was twelve!"

**"Every so often I would spring a Mrs. Dodds reference on somebody, just to see if I could trip them up, but they would stare at me like I was psycho. **

** It got so I almost believed them-Mrs. Dodds had never existed. **

** Almost. **

** But Grover couldn't fool me. When I mentioned the name Dodds to him, he would hesitate, then claim she didn't exist. But I knew he was lying."**

"I should teach you how to lie, Grover" Thalia says.

Grover shooks his head, "No way! I've seen what you and your Hunters do when training/teaching. I'm not going near it!"

**"Something was going on. Something had happened at the museum. **

** I didn't have much time to think about it during the days, but at night, visions of Mrs. Dodds with talons and leathery wings would wake me up in a cold sweat. **

** The freak weather continued, which didn't help my mood. One night, a thunderstorm blew out the windows in my dorm room. A few days later, the biggest tornado ever spotted in the Hudson Valley touched down only fifty miles from Yancy Academy. One of the current events we studied in social studies class was the unusual number of small planes that had gone down in sudden squalls in the Atlantic that year."**

"I bet that lesson just crushed the dreams of the aspiring pilots" Carter says.

**"I started feeling cranky and irritable most of the time. My grades slipped from Ds to Fs. I got into more fights with Nancy Bobofit and her friends. I was sent out into the hallway in almost every class."**

"Almost" the whole room says.

**"Finally, when our English teacher, Mr. Nicoll, asked me for the millionth time why I was too lazy to study for spelling tests, I snapped. I called him an old sot. I wasn't even sure what it meant, but it sounded good.**

**The headmaster sent my mom a letter the following week, making it official: I would not be invited back next year to Yancy Academy."**

"At least you didn't blow something up that got you expelled that year" I say, trying to sound upbeat. But I know that everybody knows I'm just kidding.

**"Fine, I told myself. Just fine.**

**I was homesick.**

**I wanted to be with my mom in our little apartment on the Upper East Side, even if I had to go to public school and put up with my obnoxious stepfather and his stupid poker parties."**

"Paul isn't like that" I say. Paul looked like a guy that could have been an actor, with his sandy hair and face.

"Not _that_ stepfather" Percy says, "the first one. The one you don't know"

**"And yet... There were things I'd miss at Yancy. The view of the woods out my dorm window, the Hudson River in the distance, the smell of pine trees. I'd miss Grover, who'd been a good friend, even if he was a little strange. I worried how he'd survive next year without me."**

"I'll be following you, for a matter of fact" Grover says.

"You're a stalker with hooves" Zia says. She obviously didn't hear it right.

"Gee, why haven't I heard that before?" Grover looks at Percy, who had a grin on his face.

**"I'd miss Latin class, too-Mr. Brunner's crazy tournament days and his faith that I could do well.**

**As exam week got closer, Latin was the only test I studied for. I hadn't forgotten what Mr. Brunner had told me about this subject being life-and-death for me. I wasn't sure why, but I'd started to believe him.**

**The evening before my final, I got so frustrated I threw the Cambridge Guide to Greek Mythology across my dorm room."**

"Please tell me you didn't destroy anything valuable further in the story?" Annabeth says to Percy, who just shrugged. But from the look on his face, he probably did.

**"Words had started swimming off the page, circling my head, the letters doing one- eighties as if they were riding skateboards."**

"You just described what I see every time I try to read a book that is in English" Thalia says.

"Wait, you also have dyslexia?" Carter asks.

"We all have, except for Grover. All demigods are. Our brains are set to read Ancient Greek, not English. Although we still have a little problem with reading, as a whole." Annabeth explains.

"Did we forget to mention that all demigods are also diagnosed with ADHD?" Percy adds.

**"There was no way I was going to remember the difference between Chiron and Charon, or Polydictes and Polydeuces. And conjugating those Latin verbs? Forget it.**

**I paced the room, feeling like ants were crawling around inside my shirt.**

**I remembered Mr. Brunner's serious expression, his thousand-year-old eyes. I will accept only the best from you, Percy Jackson.**

**I took a deep breath. I picked up the mythology book."**

"Percy _willingly_ picked up a book! I'm so proud!" I fake cheer.

**:I'd never asked a teacher for help before. Maybe if I talked to Mr. Brunner, he could give me some pointers. At least I could apologize for the big fat F I was about to score on his exam. I didn't want to leave Yancy Academy with him thinking I hadn't** **tried."**

"aw, you wan't to leave him with a good impression. How nice" Sadie says

**"I walked downstairs to the faculty offices. Most of them were dark and empty, but Mr. Brunner's door was ajar, light from his window stretching across the hallway floor.**

**I was three steps from the door handle when I heard voices inside the office. Mr. Brunner asked a question. A voice that was definitely Grover's said "'... Worried about Percy, sir. '"**

"You heard us!?" Grover exclaims. Percy nods.

**"I froze.**

**I'm not usually an eavesdropper, but I dare you to try not listening if you hear your best friend talking about you to an adult."**

"I'm going to lose that dare" Carter mutters.

**"I inched closer.**

**'... Alone this summer, ' Grover was saying. 'I mean, a Kindly One in the school!' "**

"what's a _Kindly One?_" Zia asks.

"Furies. Like what Mrs. Dodds turned into" I answer.

**" 'Now that we know for sure, and they know too-'**

**'We would only make matters worse by rushing him, ' Mr. Brunner said. 'We need the boy to mature more.' " **

"He still need to mature more" I hear Thalia mutter/laugh next to me. I laugh with her. Soon, the others were laughing, except Percy, who were giving us each a death glare.

**" 'But he may not have time. The summer solstice deadline- '**

**'Will have to be resolved without him, Grover. Let him enjoy his ignorance while he still can.' "**

"How can you enjoy ignorance?" Annabeth complains.

"Not all of us are smart like you, Annabeth"

"Oh, shut up, Thalia"

**" 'Sir, he saw her... . '**

**'His imagination,' Mr. Brunner insisted. 'The Mist over the students and staff will be enough to convince him of that.' "**

"No it didn't. It made me more suspicious" Percy says.

**" 'Sir, I ... I can't fail in my duties again.' Grover's voice was choked with emotion. 'You know what that would mean.' "**

Grover paled. Sadie stopped reading when she saw him, but he waves at her to continue.

**" 'You haven't failed, Grover,' Mr. Brunner said kindly. 'I should have seen her for what she was. Now let's just worry about keeping Percy alive until next fall-'**

**The mythology book dropped out of my hand and hit the floor with a thud.**

**Mr. Brunner went silent.**

**My heart hammering, I picked up the book and backed down the hall.**

**A shadow slid across the lighted glass of Brunner's office door, the shadow of something much taller than my wheelchair-bound teacher, holding something that looked suspiciously like an archer's bow.**

**I opened the nearest door and slipped inside.**

**A few seconds later I heard a slow clop-clop-clop, like muf-fled wood blocks, then a sound like an animal snuffling right outside my door. A large, dark shape paused in front of the glass, then moved on.**

**A bead of sweat trickled down my neck.**

**Somewhere in the hallway, Mr. Brunner spoke. 'Nothing,' he murmured. 'My nerves haven't been right since the winter solstice. '**

**'Mine neither,' Grover said. 'But I could have sworn ...'**

**'Go back to the dorm,' Mr. Brunner told him. 'You've got a long day of exams tomorrow.'**

**'Don't remind me. '"**

"Even satyrs hate exams" Sadie grumbles

**"The lights went out in Mr. Brunner's office.**

**I waited in the dark for what seemed like forever."**

"It was just 5 minutes" Grover says.

**"Finally, I slipped out into the hallway and made my way back up to the dorm.**

**Grover was lying on his bed, studying his Latin exam notes like he'd been there all night.**

**'Hey,' he said, bleary-eyed. 'You going to be ready for this test?'**

**I didn't answer.**

**'You look awful.' He frowned. 'Is everything okay?'**

**'Just... Tired. '**

**I turned so he couldn't read my expression, and started getting ready for bed.**

**I didn't understand what I'd heard downstairs. I wanted to believe I'd imagined the whole thing.**

**But one thing was clear: Grover and Mr. Brunner were talking about me behind my back. They thought I was in some kind of danger." S**adie reads

"Not _thought, _ but _knew_" I say.

**"The next afternoon, as I was leaving the three-hour Latin exam, my eyes swimming with all the Greek and Roman names I'd misspelled, Mr. Brunner called me back inside.**

**For a moment, I was worried he'd found out about my eavesdropping the night before, but that didn't seem to be the problem.**

**'Percy, ' he said. 'Don't be discouraged about leaving Yancy. It's ... It's for the best. '**

**His tone was kind, but the words still embarrassed me. Even though he was speaking quietly, the other kids finishing the test could hear. Nancy Bobofit smirked at me and made sarcastic little kissing motions with her lips."**

"That is so..." Zia starts.

"Immature?" I suggest

"weird?" Sadie says

"disgusting?" Percy says.

**"I mumbled, 'Okay, sir. '**

**'I mean ...' Mr. Brunner wheeled his chair back and forth, like he wasn't sure what to say.'This isn't the right place for you. It was only a matter of time.'"**

"Giving out the news nicely isn't one of Mr. Brunner's talents" Thalia says.

**"My eyes stung.**

**Here was my favorite teacher, in front of the class, telling me I couldn't handle it. After saying he believed in me all year, now he was telling me I was destined to get kicked out.**

**'Right,'I said, trembling.**

**'No, no,' Mr. Brunner said. 'Oh, confound it all. What I'm trying to say ... You're not normal, Percy. That's nothing to be-'**

**'Thanks,' I blurted. 'Thanks a lot, sir, for reminding me.' "**

"Ouch" we all say.

**" 'Percy-'**

**But I was already gone.**

**On the last day of the term, I shoved my clothes into my suitcase.**

**The other guys were joking around, talking about their vacation plans. One of them was going on a hiking trip to Switzerland. Another was cruising the Caribbean for a month. They were juvenile delinquents, like me, but they were rich juvenile delinquents. Their daddies were executives, or ambassadors, or celebrities. I was a nobody, from a family of nobodies." **

"You would belong to a family of nobodies if gods are 'nobodies'" I say.

**"They asked me what I'd be doing this summer and I told them I was going back to the city.**

**What I didn't tell them was that I'd have to get a summer job walking dogs or selling magazine subscriptions, and spend my free time worrying about where I'd go to school in the fall.**

**'Oh,' one of the guys said. 'That's cool.'**

**They went back to their conversation as if I'd never existed.**

**The only person I dreaded saying goodbye to was Grover,"**

"Oh really, Perce? I'm so touched" Grover says, dramatically holding his hand over his heart.

**"but as it turned out, I didn't have to. He'd booked a ticket to Manhattan on the same Greyhound as I had, so there we were, together again, heading into the city."**

"Best friends stay together, whether on purpose or not-" Percy says, smiling

"-physically or mentally-" Grover continues, also smiling.

**"During the whole bus ride, Grover kept glancing nervously down the aisle, watching the other passengers. It occurred to me that he'd always acted nervous and fidgety when we left Yancy, as if he expected something bad to happen. Before, I'd always assumed he was worried about getting teased. But there was nobody to tease him on the Greyhound.**

**Finally I couldn't stand it anymore.**

**I said, 'Looking for Kindly Ones?' "**

"Really, Percy?" Annabeth stares at him with the look, _Are you kidding me?_

**"Grover nearly jumped out of his seat. 'Wha-what do you mean?' "**

"Come on, G! You can lie better than that!" Thalia says.

"I am trying!" he says back

"See! You're already lying! That's fast progress!" Thalia smiles. Grover just rolls his eyes.

**"I confessed about eavesdropping on him and Mr. Brunner the night before the exam.**

**Grover's eye twitched. 'How much did you hear?'**

**'Oh ... Not much. What's the summer solstice dead-line?' "**

"Your curiosity won't do you any good" Carter says.

**"He winced. 'Look, Percy ... I was just worried for you, see? I mean, hallucinating about demon math teachers ... '**

**'Grover-'**

**'And I was telling Mr. Brunner that maybe you were overstressed or something, because there was no such person as Mrs. Dodds, and ... '**

**'Grover, you're a really, really bad liar.' "**

"See, even 12-yr-old Percy says so" Anubis tells the satyr.

Grovers ears turn pink, "Shut up"

**"His ears turned pink." **Sadie says.

"Well, we don't need any further proof that the guy in that book really is Grover." I say

"Why?" Grover, Carter, Annabeth and Anubis asks.

"Well, for starters, he's a bad liar. and his ears turn pink whenever we-" I was cut off when a bunch of vines wrapped around my face. I hear Grover playing his pipes. It sounds like a seagull choking on a fish while it's singing, or maybe it's just the vines covering my ears.

**"From his shirt pocket, he fished out a grubby business card. "Just take this, okay? In case you need me this summer.**

**The card was in fancy script,"**

"Ugh!" we, the demigods, all say in unison.

"That's just plain massacre on our eyes!" Thalia complains.

**"which was murder on my dyslexic eyes,"**

Cue laughs.

**"but I finally made out something like:**

**Grover Underwood**

**Keeper**

**Half-Blood Hill**

**Long Island, New York**

**(800) 009-0009"**

"Why do they have to write it in fancy, ink-wasting font when they could have just printed it in Ancient Greek?" I say

"Yeah, so in case somebody drops a card and a mortal picks it up, they couldn't read it" Percy smiles.

We had one of our "eye conversations", but we know what the other was thinking.

"So, will it be a calm, orderly petition around the camp? or-" Annabeth was cut off

"Rally in the printing office!" we (as in me and Percy) both say, plunging our fists in the air.

**" 'What's Half-'**

**'Don't say it aloud!' he yelped. 'That's my, um ... Summer address.' "**

"You could've said that 'This is a camp where people like us get to stay and not have to fear of random and painful attacks by monsters who are out to get us 24/7' " Thalia says.

**"My heart sank. Grover had a summer home. I'd never considered that his family might be as rich as the others at Yancy.**

**'Okay,' I said glumly. 'So, like, if I want to come visit your mansion.' "**

"Or my forest" Grover says.

**"He nodded. 'Or ... Or if you need me. '**

**'Why would I need you?' "**

"Oooh. Ouch" Everybody says, except Percy and Grover.

**"It came out harsher than I meant it to."**

"Yup, it did" Annabeth says.

**"Grover blushed right down to his Adam's apple. 'Look, Percy, the truth is, I-I kind of have to protect you.'**

**I stared at him.**

**All year long, I'd gotten in fights, keeping bullies away from him. I'd lost sleep worrying that he'd get beaten up next year without me. And here he was acting like he was the one who defended me.**

**'Grover,' I said, 'what exactly are you protecting me from?' "**

"Hellhounds, angry gods, other dangerous things that wants your head mounted on their fire place" Carter says.

**"There was a huge grinding noise under our feet. Black smoke poured from the dashboard and the whole bus filled with a smell like rotten eggs. The driver cursed and limped the Greyhound over to the side of the highway.**

**After a few minutes clanking around in the engine compartment, the driver announced that we'd all have to get off. Grover and I filed outside with everybody else.**

**We were on a stretch of country road-no place you'd notice if you didn't break down there. On our side of the highway was nothing but maple trees and litter from passing cars. On the other side, across four lanes of asphalt shimmering with afternoon heat, was an old-fashioned fruit stand.**

**The stuff on sale looked really good: heaping boxes of bloodred cherries and apples, walnuts and apricots, jugs of cider in a claw-foot tub full of ice. There were no customers, just three old ladies sitting in rocking chairs in the shade of a maple tree, knitting the biggest pair of socks I'd ever seen." **

"the Fates" Annabeth mutters, and went pale. Percy embraced her and mutters things in her ear.

**"I mean these socks were the size of sweaters, but they were clearly socks. The lady on the right knitted one of them. The lady on the left knitted the other. The lady in the middle held an enormous basket of electric-blue yarn.**

**All three women looked ancient, with pale faces wrinkled like fruit leather, silver hair tied back in white bandannas, bony arms sticking out of bleached cotton dresses.**

**The weirdest thing was, they seemed to be looking right at me."**

Annabeth gasps and Percy holds her tighter. The Egyptians, except Anubis, stare at her in worry.

"Oh gods, Percy..." she starts, but Percy cuts her off with a quick kiss. In normal occasions, me and Thalia would have gagged and faked-vomit. But, with Annabeth worrying and the magicians' questioning, but worried looks, we didn't move.

I hear Percy say, "I'm still alive. I'm fine." and other reassuring things. He looks at Sadie and mouths _Continue reading_ while he holds Annabeth.

**"I looked over at Grover to say something about this and saw that the blood had drained from his face. His nose was twitching.**

**'Grover?' I said. 'Hey, man-'**

**'Tell me they're not looking at you. They are, aren't they?'**

**'Yeah. Weird, huh? You think those socks would fit me?' "**

"not funny, Perce" I hear Annabeth mutter through Percy's shirt.

**" 'Not funny, Percy. Not funny at all.' "**

"Even Grover agrees with you, Annabeth" Anubis says.

**"The old lady in the middle took out a huge pair of scissors-gold and silver, long-bladed, like shears. I heard Grover catch his breath."**

At the same time, Annabeth gasps and tenses. She knows that this is not Percy, but the Fates are a serious topic.

**" 'We're getting on the bus,' he told me. 'Come on.'**

**'What?' I said. 'It's a thousand degrees in there.'**

**'Come on!' He pried open the door and climbed inside, but I stayed back.**

**Across the road, the old ladies were still watching me. The middle one cut the yarn, and I swear I could hear that snip across four lanes of traffic. Her two friends balled up the electric-blue socks, leaving me wondering who they could possibly be for-Sasquatch or Godzilla."**

A few smiles across the room

**"At the rear of the bus, the driver wrenched a big chunk of smoking metal out of the engine compartment. The bus shuddered, and the engine roared back to life.**

**The passengers cheered.**

**'Darn right!' yelled the driver. He slapped the bus with his hat. 'Everybody back on board!'**

**Once we got going, I started feeling feverish, as if I'd caught the flu.**

**Grover didn't look much better. He was shivering and his teeth were chattering.**

**'Grover?'**

**'Yeah?'**

**'What are you not telling me?'**

**He dabbed his forehead with his shirt sleeve. 'Percy, what did you see back at the fruit stand?'**

**'You mean the old ladies? What is it about them, man? They're not like ... Mrs. Dodds, are they?'**

"they are worse. Much, _much_ worse." Annabeth says, who now pulled herself together and was now leaning on Percy's chest.

**"His expression was hard to read, but I got the feeling that the fruit-stand ladies were something much, much worse than Mrs. Dodds. He said, 'Just tell me what you saw. '**

**'The middle one took out her scissors, and she cut the yarn.'**

**He closed his eyes and made a gesture with his fingers that might've been crossing himself, but it wasn't. It was something else, something almost-older.**

**He said, 'You saw her snip the cord.'**

**'Yeah. So?' But even as I said it, I knew it was a big deal.**

**'This is not happening,' Grover mumbled. He started chewing at his thumb. 'I don't want this to be like the last time.'**

**'What last time?'**

**'Always sixth grade. They never get past sixth.'**

**'Grover,' I said, because he was really starting to scare me. 'What are you talking about?'**

**'Let me walk you home from the bus station. Promise me.'**

**This seemed like a strange request to me, but I promised he could.**

**'Is this like a superstition or something?' I asked.**

**No answer.**

**'Grover-that snipping of the yarn. Does that mean somebody is going to die?'**

**He looked at me mournfully, like he was already picking the kind of flowers I'd like best on my coffin."**

Sadie closes the book, "That's the second chapter. Who will read the next one?"

"I will" Percy volunteers, and takes the book from the magician's hands.

He opens it to the chapter page and reads,

**"GROVER UNEXPECTEDLY LOSES HIS PANTS"**

"I'm guessing that that is a good thing? right?" Sadie asks.

**"Confession time: I ditched Grover as soon as we got to the bus terminal."**

"It was a bit expected from us" I say. the others nod in agreement.

"Not me!" Grover complains.

**"I know, I know. It was rude. But Grover was freaking me out, looking at me like I was a dead man, muttering 'Why does this always happen?' and 'Why does it always have to he sixth grade?'**

**Whenever he got upset, Grover's bladder acted up, so I wasn't surprised when, as soon as we got off ****the bus, he made me promise to wait for him, then made a beeline for the restroom. Instead of waiting, I got my suitcase, slipped outside, and caught the first taxi uptown."**

"That is a bad idea, Perce" Carter says.

"based on experience?"

"A bit"

**" 'East One-hundred-and-fourth and First, ' I told the driver.**

**A word about my mother, before you meet her."**

They all leaned forward. I guess they all want to know the person who raised Percy and invented the blue food.

**"Her name is Sally Jackson and she's the best person in the world, which just proves my theory that the best people have the rottenest luck."**

"I second that" Sadie mutters

**"Her own parents died in a plane crash when she was five, and she was raised by an uncle who didn't care much about her. She wanted to be a novelist, so she spent high school working to save enough money for a college with a good creative-writing program. Then her uncle got cancer, and she had to quit school her senior year to take care of him. After he died, she was left with no money, no family, and no diploma."**

Annabeth, me, Thalis and Grover looks at Percy.

"I never..." Annabeth trails off.

"She's too positive to have such a tragic past" Thalia mutters.

"Oh, Aunt Sally..." I say. I have considered her as my official aunt (me and Percy are practically cousins). Heck, if she would plan to adopt me, I would be so happy, I might actually be smiling for the whole day.

"Your mother..." Zia starts.

"You know, if this was the past of a demigod or a magician, this wouldn't have been nothing. But a mortal..." Carter trails off.

**"The only good break she ever got was meeting my dad."**

"Poseidon actually became a good omen this time" Thalia smiles.

**"I don't have any memories of him, just this sort of warm glow, maybe the barest trace of his smile. My mom doesn't like to talk about him because it makes her sad. She has no pictures."**

Of course she doesn't.

**"See, they weren't married. She told me he was rich and important, and their relationship was a secret. Then one day, he set sail across the Atlantic on some important journey, and he never came back.**

**Lost at sea, my mom told me. Not dead. Lost at sea."**

"Or went back home _in_ the sea." Anubis says.

**"She worked odd jobs, took night classes to get her high school diploma, and raised me on her own. She never complained or got mad. Not even once. But I knew I wasn't an easy kid."**

"Gods, your mother is so nice" Sadie says to Percy, who just smiles.

**"Finally, she married Gabe Ugliano,"**

Percy says the name of Gabe with poison in his mouth.

**"who was nice the first thirty seconds we knew him, then showed his true colors as a world-class jerk. When I was young, I nick-named him Smelly Gabe. I'm sorry, but it's the truth. The guy reeked like moldy garlic pizza wrapped in gym shorts."**

Our nose wrinkled when we imagined the scent.

**"Between the two of us, we made my mom's life pretty hard. The way Smelly Gabe treated her, the way he and I got along ... Well, when I came home is a good example.**

**I walked into our little apartment, hoping my mom would be home from work. Instead, Smelly Gabe was in the living room, playing poker with his buddies. The television blared ESPN. Chips and beer cans were strewn all over the carpet.**

**Hardly looking up, he said around his cigar, 'So, you're home.'**

**'Where's my mom?'**

**'Working, " he said. "You got any cash?' "**

"Men" Thalia says in disgust. The men in the room turned to her, in which she returned with a raised eyebrow. When she realized what she had said, her eyes widen and she covers her mouth.

"Oh gods, I didn't mean-" she starts

"The Hunters are rubbing off on you" I sing-song. She slaps me at the back of my head.

**"That was it. No Welcome back. Good to see you. How has your life been the last six months?**

**Gabe had put on weight. He looked like a tuskless walrus in thrift-store clothes. He had about three hairs on his head, all combed over his bald scalp, as if that made him handsome or something.**

**He managed the Electronics Mega-Mart in Queens, but he stayed home most of the time. I don't know why he hadn't been fired long before. He just kept on collecting paychecks, spending the money on cigars that made me nauseous, and on beer, of course. Always beer. Whenever I was home, he expected me to provide his gambling funds. He called that our 'guy secret.' Meaning, if I told my mom, he would punch my lights out."**

"But now he's a stone statue" Percy smiles at Annabeth and Grover, who smiled back.

**" 'I don't have any cash,' I told him.**

**He raised a greasy eyebrow.**

**Gabe could sniff out money like a bloodhound, which was surprising, since his own smell should've covered up everything else.**

**'You took a taxi from the bus station,' he said. 'Probably paid with a twenty. Got six, seven bucks in change. Somebody expects to live under this roof, he ought to carry his own weight. Am I right, Eddie?'**

**Eddie, the super of the apartment building, looked at me with a twinge of sympathy. 'Come on, Gabe,' he said. 'The kid just got here.'**

" I like Eddie" Sadie says.

"Yeah. He's the only one of Gabe's poker buddies who actually treats me like a normal person. I'm surprised he ended up with Gabe as a friend" Percy says.

**" 'Am I right?' Gabe repeated.**

**Eddie scowled into his bowl of pretzels. The other two guys passed gas in harmony."**

Everybody reacted.

"That's gross" Annabeth says.

"Disgusting" Zia says

"that's just plain wrong" Carter says.

"Men" Thalia says, again.

**" 'Fine,' I said. I dug a wad of dollars out of my pocket and threw the money on the table. 'I hope you lose.'**

**'Your report card came, brain boy!' he shouted after me. 'I wouldn't act so snooty!'**

**I slammed the door to my room, which really wasn't my room. During school months, it was Gabe's 'study.' He didn't study anything in there except old car magazines, but he loved shoving my stuff in the closet, leaving his muddy boots on my windowsill, and doing his best to make the place smell like his nasty cologne and cigars and stale beer."**

"As much as I hated that place, it kinda protected me" Percy says.

"Why? How?" Carter asks.

"The intoxicating scent of Gabe covered my demigod smell" he replies.

**"I dropped my suitcase on the bed. Home sweet home.**

**Gabe's smell was almost worse than the nightmares about Mrs. Dodds, or the sound of that old fruit lady's shears snipping the yarn.**

**But as soon as I thought that, my legs felt weak. I remembered Grover's look of panic-how he'd made me promise I wouldn't go home without him. A sudden chill rolled through me. I felt like someone- something-was looking for me right now, maybe pounding its way up the stairs, growing long, horrible talons.**

**Then I heard my mom's voice. 'Percy?' "**

There were smiles

**"She opened the bedroom door, and my fears melted."**

"Your mom must be really nice if she melted away fears. Especially yours" Anubis says

**"My mother can make me feel good just by walking into the room. Her eyes sparkle and change color in the light. Her smile is as warm as a quilt. She's got a few gray streaks mixed in with her long brown hair, but I never think of her as old. When she looks at me, it's like she's seeing all the good things about me, none of the bad. I've never heard her raise her voice or say an unkind word to anyone, not even me or Gabe."**

"As much as I want to continue complimenting how awesome your mother is, I just want you to know that she made it into my top list of 'Nicest people alive'" Thalia says. Percy laughs and continues reading.

**" 'Oh, Percy.' She hugged me tight. 'I can't believe it. You've grown since Christmas!'**

**Her red-white-and-blue Sweet on America uniform smelled like the best things in the world: chocolate, licorice, and all the other stuff she sold at the candy shop in Grand Central. She'd brought me a huge bag of "free samples, " the way she always did when I came home.**

**We sat together on the edge of the bed. While I attacked the blueberry sour strings, she ran her hand through my hair and demanded to know everything I hadn't put in my letters. She didn't mention anything about my getting expelled. She didn't seem to care about that. But was I okay? Was her little boy doing all right?**

**I told her she was smothering me, and to lay off and all that, but secretly, I was really, really glad to see her."**

"Percy has a soft spot" me and Thalia hums.

**" From the other room, Gabe yelled, 'Hey, Sally-how about some bean dip, huh?'**

**I gritted my teeth.**

**My mom is the nicest lady in the world. She should've been married to a millionaire, not to some jerk like Gabe.**

**For her sake, I tried to sound upbeat about my last days at Yancy Academy. I told her I wasn't too down about the expulsion. I'd lasted almost the whole year this time. I'd made some new friends. I'd done pretty well in Latin. And honestly, the fights hadn't been as bad as the headmaster said. I liked Yancy Academy. I really did. I put such a good spin on the year, I almost convinced myself. I started choking up, thinking about Grover and Mr. Brunner. Even Nancy Bobofit suddenly didn't seem so bad.**

**Until that trip to the museum ...**

**'What?' my mom asked. Her eyes tugged at my conscience, trying to pull out the secrets. 'Did something scare you?'**

**'No, Mom. '**

**I felt bad lying. I wanted to tell her about Mrs. Dodds and the three old ladies with the yarn, but I thought it would sound stupid.**

**She pursed her lips. She knew I was holding back, but she didn't push me.**

**'I have a surprise for you,' she said. 'We're going to the beach.' "**

"Well, at least we know why Poseidon took an interest in her" Zia says.

**My eyes widened. 'Montauk?'**

**"Three nights-same cabin. "**

**'When?'**

**She smiled. 'As soon as I get changed.'**

**I couldn't believe it. My mom and I hadn't been to Montauk the last two summers, because Gabe said there wasn't enough money.**

**Gabe appeared in the doorway and growled, 'Bean dip, Sally? Didn't you hear me?'**

**I wanted to punch him, but I met my mom's eyes and I understood she was offering me a deal: be nice to Gabe for a little while. Just until she was ready to leave for Montauk. Then we would get out of here.**

**'I was on my way, honey,' she told Gabe. 'We were just talking about the trip.'**

**Gabe's eyes got small. 'The trip? You mean you were serious about that?'**

**'I knew it,' I muttered. 'He won't let us go.'**

**'Of course he will,' my mom said evenly. 'Your step-father is just worried about money. That's all. Besides,' she added, 'Gabriel won't have to settle for bean dip. I'll make him enough seven-layer dip for the whole weekend. Guacamole. Sour cream. The works.' "**

"Wow, that was...persuasive" Carter says.

**"Gabe softened a bit. 'So this money for your trip ... It comes out of your clothes budget, right?'**

**'Yes, honey,' my mother said.**

**'And you won't take my car anywhere but there and back.'**

**'We'll be very careful.'**

**Gabe scratched his double chin. 'Maybe if you hurry with that seven-layer dip ... And maybe if the kid apologizes for interrupting my poker game.' "**

"Wait, why do _you_ have to apologize to _him_?" Annabeth looks at Percy.

**"Maybe if I kick you in your soft spot, I thought. And make you sing soprano for a week."**

Everyone in the room laughs

"Solid gold" Grover says, clutching his stomach.

**"But my mom's eyes warned me not to make him mad.**

**Why did she put up with this guy? I wanted to scream. Why did she care what he thought?**

**'I'm sorry,' I muttered. 'I'm really sorry I interrupted your incredibly important poker game. Please go back to it right now.'**

**Gabe's eyes narrowed. His tiny brain was probably trying to detect sarcasm in my statement."**

"He can't detect the sarcasm because there is nothing to detect it" I smile.

**'Yeah, whatever,' he decided.**

**He went back to his game.**

**'Thank you, Percy,' my mom said. 'Once we get to Montauk, we'll talk more about... Whatever you've forgotten to tell me, okay?'**

**For a moment, I thought I saw anxiety in her eyes-the same fear I'd seen in Grover during the bus ride-as if my mom too felt an odd chill in the air.**

**But then her smile returned, and I figured I must have been mistaken. She ruffled my hair and went to make Gabe his seven-layer dip.**

**An hour later we were ready to leave.**

**Gabe took a break from his poker game long enough to watch me lug my mom's bags to the car. He kept griping and groaning about losing her cooking-and more important, his '78 Camaro-for the whole weekend.**

**'Not a scratch on this car, brain boy,' he warned me as I loaded the last bag. 'Not one little scratch.'**

**Like I'd be the one driving. I was twelve. But that didn't matter to Gabe. If a seagull so much as pooped on his paint job, he'd find a way to blame me.**

**Watching him lumber back toward the apartment building, I got so mad I did something I can't explain. As Gabe reached the doorway, I made the hand gesture I'd seen Grover make on the bus, a sort of warding-off-evil gesture, a clawed hand over my heart, then a shoving movement toward Gabe. The screen door slammed shut so hard it whacked him in the butt and sent him flying up the staircase as if he'd been shot from a cannon. Maybe it was just the wind, or some freak accident with the hinges, but I didn't stay long enough to find out.**

**I got in the Camaro and told my mom to step on it.**

**Our rental cabin was on the south shore, way out at the tip of Long Island. It was a little pastel box with faded curtains, half sunken into the dunes. There was always sand in the sheets and spiders in the cabinets,"**

"WHAT?!" Annabeth says. She turns to Percy and says, "That's it. I'm cancelling the trip to Montauk"

Me, Thalia and Grover groan. "Why? Why Percy? Why must you say that there are spiders in the cabinet?" I complain.

"Why?" the other two say. The three of us slump to the ground, our butts in the air and our arms on our sides. We probably look stupid, especially Grover, who had his tail twitching. But we don't care.

The trip to Montauk was our most-awaited trip during the summer, and because of Percy's impeccable talent of giving out details, it has been cancelled.

"Annabeth, you're over-reacting. That was _mom'__s_ cabin. The cabins where the 6 of us will be staying are clean and spider-free." Percy reassures her.

"Okay. but you better be sure" she grumbles.

The three of us suddenly hype up, "Yes! We're going! Thank the gods!" We say. The three of us sit back on our beanbags as if we didn't have any dramatic moment

the Egyptians were looking at us strangely, But we _still _don't care.

**"and most of the time the sea was too cold to swim in.**

**I loved the place."**

"Yep, that's Percy" Grover says.

**"We'd been going there since I was a baby. My mom had been going even longer. She never exactly said, but I knew why the beach was special to her. It was the place where she'd met my dad.**

**As we got closer to Montauk, she seemed to grow younger, years of worry and work disappearing from her face. Her eyes turned the color of the sea.**

**We got there at sunset, opened all the cabin's windows, and went through our usual cleaning routine. We walked on the beach, fed blue corn chips to the seagulls, and munched on blue jelly beans, blue saltwater taffy, and all the other free samples my mom had brought from work.**

**I guess I should explain the blue food."**

"Yes please."

**"See, Gabe had once told my mom there was no such thing. They had this fight, which seemed like a really small thing at the time. But ever since, my mom went out of her way to eat blue. She baked blue birthday cakes. She mixed blueberry smoothies."**

"How _does_ she turn the food blue?" Carter asks

"Aunt Sally says it's food dye"

"Magic"

Percy and Thalia says in unison.

"It's pretty much blue food dye" Thalia says

"I'm pretty sure it's magic" Percy replies, "And I am sure that Mom is a descendant of Hecate"

"So it means you are also a descendant of Hecate" I grumble. Zia and Carter hears me and snickers, along with Sadie, Anubis and Grover.

"It's food dye"

"magic"

"food dye"

"magic"

"food dye"

"magic"

"FOOD DYE"

"MAGIC"

"Food _dye" _Thalia grits her teeth.

"Ma-_gick_" Percy replies smugly, glaring at the daughter of Zeus.

"It's food dye!" she exclaims, her voice rising up.

Percy groans, "Fine, it's food dye"

Thalia smiles in victory while Annabeth cracked a smile at her boyfriend.

"_Magic_ food dye" Percy quickly says after Thalia smiles. He had a huge grin on his face while everybody, except Thalia, laughs in hysterics.

"I bet that his stubbornness came from his father" Zia says, which earned her laughs and a semi-angry glare from the sea spawn.

**"She bought blue-corn tortilla chips and brought home blue candy from the shop. This-along with keeping her maiden name, Jackson, rather than calling herself Mrs. Ugliano-was proof that she wasn't totally suckered by Gabe. She did have a rebellious streak, like me."**

"So that is where Percy got the rebellious streak. I thought it was normal for a son of Poseidon" I say.

**"When it got dark, we made a fire. We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. Mom told me stories about when she was a kid, back before her parents died in the plane crash. She told me about the books she wanted to write someday, when she had enough money to quit the candy shop.**

**Eventually, I got up the nerve to ask about what was always on my mind whenever we came to Montauk-my father. Mom's eyes went all misty. I figured she would tell me the same things she always did, but I never got tired of hearing them.**

**'He was kind, Percy,' she said. 'Tall, handsome, and powerful. But gentle, too. You have his black hair, you know, and his green eyes.' "**

"Almost all of the demigods got their godly parent's eye and hair color." Annabeth says.

**"Mom fished a blue jelly bean out of her candy bag. 'I wish he could see you, Percy. He would be so proud.'**

**I wondered how she could say that. What was so great about me? A dyslexic, hyperactive boy with a D+ report card, kicked out of school for the sixth time in six years.**

**'How old was I?' I asked. 'I mean ... When he left?'**

**She watched the flames. 'He was only with me for one summer, Percy. Right here at this beach. This cabin.' "**

"Just one sumer?" Sadie asks. Percy didn't answer.

**" 'But... He knew me as a baby.'**

**'No, honey. He knew I was expecting a baby, but he never saw you. He had to leave before you were born. '**

**I tried to square that with the fact that I seemed to remember ... Something about my father. A warm glow. A smile.**

**I had always assumed he knew me as a baby. My mom had never said it outright, but still, I'd felt it must be true. Now, to be told that he'd never even seen me ...**

**I felt angry at my father. Maybe it was stupid, but I resented him for going on that ocean voyage, for not having the guts to marry my mom. He'd left us, and now we were stuck with Smelly Gabe.**

**'Are you going to send me away again?' I asked her. 'To another boarding school?'**

**She pulled a marshmallow from the fire.**

**'I don't know, honey.' Her voice was heavy. 'I think ... I think we'll have to do something. '**

**'Because you don't want me around?' I regretted the words as soon as they were out.**

**My mom's eyes welled with tears. She took my hand, squeezed it tight. 'Oh, Percy, no. I-I have to, honey. For your own good. I have to send you away.'**

**Her words reminded me of what Mr. Brunner had said-that it was best for me to leave Yancy.**

**'Because I'm not normal,' I said.**

**'You say that as if it's a bad thing, Percy. But you don't realize how important you are. I thought Yancy Academy would be far enough away. I thought you'd finally be safe.'**

**'Safe from what?'**

**She met my eyes, and a flood of memories came back to me-all the weird, scary things that had ever happened to me, some of which I'd tried to forget.**

**During third grade, a man in a black trench coat had stalked me on the playground. When the teachers threatened to call the police, he went away growling, but no one believed me when I told them that under his broad-brimmed hat, the man only had one eye, right in the middle of his head."**

"A cyclops?" Carter asks.

"Yep, but the mortals didn't see him with just one eye. they thought that he as just a regular stalker" Percy answers

**"Before that-a really early memory. I was in preschool, and a teacher accidentally put me down for a nap in a cot that a snake had slithered into. My mom screamed when she came to pick me up and found me playing with a limp, scaly rope I'd somehow managed to strangle to death with my meaty toddler hands."**

"Like Heracles" I say.

**"In every single school, something creepy had happened, something unsafe, and I was forced to move.**

**I knew I should tell my mom about the old ladies at the fruit stand, and Mrs. Dodds at the art museum, about my weird hallucination that I had sliced my math teacher into dust with a sword. But I couldn't make myself tell her.**

**I had a strange feeling the news would end our trip to Montauk, and I didn't want that.**

**'I've tried to keep you as close to me as I could,' my mom said. 'They told me that was a mistake. But there's only one other option, Percy-the place your father wanted to send you. And I just... I just can't stand to do it'**

**'My father wanted me to go to a special school?'**

**'Not a school, " she said softly. 'A summer camp.'**

**My head was spinning. Why would my dad-who hadn't even stayed around long enough to see me born- talk to my mom about a summer camp? And if it was so important, why hadn't she ever mentioned it before?**

**'I'm sorry, Percy,' she said, seeing the look in my eyes. 'But I can't talk about it. I-I couldn't send you to that place. It might mean saying good-bye to you for good.'**

"Wait? 'For good'?" I thought it was a summer camp?" Carter says.

** " 'For good? But if it's only a summer camp ...'"**

"That's starting to creep me out"

**"She turned toward the fire, and I knew from her expression that if I asked her any more questions she would start to cry."**

"Aww" Sadie and Zia says.

**"That night I had a vivid dream.**

**It was storming on the beach, and two beautiful animals, a white horse and a golden eagle, were trying to kill each other at the edge of the surf. The eagle swooped down and slashed the horse's muzzle with its huge talons. The horse reared up and kicked at the eagles wings. As they fought, the ground rumbled, and a monstrous voice chuck-led somewhere beneath the earth, goading the animals to fight harder."**

"Zeus and Poseidon" Thalia mutters. Thunder rolled when she mentioned the names of the godly brothers.

**"I ran toward them, knowing I had to stop them from killing each other, but I was running in slow motion. I knew I would be too late. I saw the eagle dive down, its beak aimed at the horse's wide eyes, and I screamed, 'No!'**

**I woke with a start.**

**Outside, it really was storming, the kind of storm that cracks trees and blows down houses. There was no horse or eagle on the beach, just lightning making false daylight, and twenty-foot waves pounding the dunes like artillery.**

**With the next thunderclap, my mom woke. She sat up, eyes wide, and said, 'Hurricane.'**

**I knew that was crazy. Long Island never sees hurricanes this early in the summer. But the ocean seemed to have for-gotten. Over the roar of the wind, I heard a distant bellow, an angry, tortured sound that made my hair stand on end.**

**Then a much closer noise, like mallets in the sand. A desperate voice-someone yelling, pounding on our cabin door.**

**My mother sprang out of bed in her nightgown and threw open the lock.**

**Grover stood framed in the doorway against a backdrop of pouring rain. But he wasn't... He wasn't exactly Grover."**

"You're saying that Grover was there, but he wasn't Grover" Anubis comments

**" 'Searching all night,' he gasped. 'What were you thinking?'**

**My mother looked at me in terror-not scared of Grover, but of why he'd come.**

**'Percy,' she said, shouting to be heard over the rain. 'What happened at school? What didn't you tell me?'**

**I was frozen, looking at Grover. I couldn't understand what I was seeing.**

**'O Zeu kai alloi theoi!' he** **yelled." **

"What does that mean?" Sadie says.

**" 'It's right behind me! Didn't you tell her?'**

**I was too shocked to register that he'd just cursed in Ancient Greek, and I'd understood him perfectly. I was too shocked to wonder how Grover had gotten here by himself in the middle of the night. Because Grover didn't have his pants on-and where his legs should be ... Where his legs should be ..."**

"Dude, your checking out your best friend's legs" I laugh, earning myself a kick in the shins and a slap behind the head all in once. I am pretty sure that I now have a cloven-shaped depression on my shin.

"Shut up Nico" Percy says.

**"My mom looked at me sternly and talked in a tone she'd never used before: 'Percy. Tell me now!'**

**I stammered something about the old ladies at the fruit stand, and Mrs. Dodds, and my mom stared at me, her face deathly pale in the flashes of lightning.**

**She grabbed her purse, tossed me my rain jacket, and said, 'Get to the car. Both of you. Go!'**

**Grover ran for the Camaro-but he wasn't running, exactly. He was trotting, shaking his shaggy hindquarters, and suddenly his story about a muscular disorder in his legs made sense to me. I understood how he could run so fast and still limp when he walked.**

**Because where his feet should be, there were no feet. There were cloven hooves."**

Percy closes the book and says, "Okay, I finished the chapter. Who's next?" he holds up the book.

"Throw it to me" Zia says and he throws it in her hands.

"Wait, this is in Greek!" she exclaims. I raise my eyebrow and she shows the pages. I notice that they were written in ancient Greek, which explains why we read it easily.

"What? Are you saying Sadie can read hieroglyphics _and_ Ancient Greek" Carter complains, staring at his sister who had a confused look on her face.

"I swear, it was in English" she insisted.

"Uh, it's starting to morph into English again" Thalia says.

Zia looks at it again and had a slightly confused expression on her face.

"Um, o-o-okay"

She opens the book and read the next chapter.


	5. Chapter 3

**A/N: Yeah, it's another chapter :weee:**

**Guest: Yeah, I don't think all the books are going to fit, so I decided that this will be for the Lightning thief. I'll make somewhat a "sequel" for the other books. Thanks for reviewing.**

**Thalia's POV**

**"MY MOTHER TEACHES** **ME BULLFIGHTING" **Zia reads

**"We tore through the night along dark country roads. Wind slammed against the Camaro. Rain lashed the wind-shield. I didn't know how my mom could see anything, but she kept her foot on the gas. **

** Every time there was a flash of lightning, I looked at Grover sitting next to me in the backseat and I wondered if I'd gone insane, or if he was wearing some kind of shag-carpet pants. But, no, the smell** **was one I remembered from kindergarten field trips to the petting zoo- lanolin, like from wool. The smell of a wet barnyard animal." **

"That's just plain insulting" Sadie says.

"Nah, I got used to it" Grover says

**"All I could think to say was, "So, you and my mom... Know each other?"**

**Grover's eyes flitted to the rearview mirror, though there were no cars behind us. "Not exactly, " he said. "I mean, we've never met in person. But she knew I was watching you. "**

**"Watching me?"**

**"Keeping tabs on you. Making sure you were okay. But I wasn't faking being your friend, " he added hastily. "I am your friend.' "**

"Yep, his furry goat friend" Grover smiles

**" 'Um ... What are you, exactly?'**

**'That doesn't matter right now.'**

**'It doesn't matter? From the waist down, my best friend is a donkey-' "**

"Blaa-ha-ha-ha-ha-haaa" Grover laughs/bleats.

**Grover let out a sharp, throaty "Blaa-ha-ha!"**

**I'd heard him make that sound before, but I'd always assumed it was a nervous laugh. Now I realized it was more of an irritated bleat.**

**'Goat!' he cried.**

**'What?'**

**'I'm a goat from the waist down' "**

"You just said it doesn't matter" I say

**" 'You just said it didn't matter.' "**

"Oh gods, I think like Kelp Brain" I hold my head, "Get it off me!"

**" 'Blaa-ha-ha! There are satyrs who would trample you underhoof for such an insult!' "**

"A satyr stomped on my foot just because I asked why his goat-tee was black and his legs were brown" Nico adds.

**" 'Whoa. Wait. Satyrs. You mean like ... Mr. Brunner's myths?'**

**'Were those old ladies at the fruit stand a myth, Percy? Was Mrs. Dodds a myth?'**

**'So you admit there was a Mrs. Dodds!'**

**'Of course.'**

**'Then why-'**

**'The less you knew, the fewer monsters you'd attract,' Grover said, like that should be perfectly obvious. 'We put Mist over the humans' eyes. We hoped you'd think the Kindly One was a hallucination. But it was no good. You started to realize who you are.'**

**'Who I-wait a minute, what do you mean?'**

**The weird bellowing noise rose up again somewhere behind us, closer than before. Whatever was chasing us was still on our trail.**

**'Percy,' my mom said, 'there's too much to explain and not enough time. We have to get you to safety.'**

**'Safety from what? Who's after me?' "**

"Not who, _what_" I say.

"A monster?" Sadie asks.

"But he's twelve!" Carter complains.

Sadie slaps him, "I'm thirteen, you goof. My twelve-year-old life is just as weird"

**"'Oh, nobody much,' Grover said, obviously still miffed about the donkey comment. 'Just the Lord of the Dead and a few of his blood-thirstiest minions.' "**

"Your father?" Anubis asks. Nico nods.

**'Grover!'**

**'Sorry, Mrs. Jackson. Could you drive faster, please?'**

**I tried to wrap my mind around what was happening, but I couldn't do it. I knew this wasn't a dream. I had no imagination. I could never dream up something this weird.**

**My mom made a hard left. We swerved onto a narrower road, racing past darkened farmhouses and wooded hills and PICK YOUR OWN STRAWBERRIES signs on white picket fences."**

"That was out of topic" Zia comments.

"Sorry, but I'm ADHD. I can't focus on one thing" Percy says.

**" 'Where are we going?' I asked.**

**'The summer camp I told you about.' My mother's voice was tight; She was trying for my sake not to be scared. 'The place your father wanted to send you.'**

**'The place you didn't want me to go.'**

**'Please, dear,' my mother begged. 'This is hard enough. Try to understand. You're in danger.'**

**'Because some old ladies cut yarn.' "**

Cue facepalms

**" 'Those weren't old ladies,' Grover said. 'Those were the Fates. Do you know what it means-the fact they appeared in front of you? They only do that when you're about to ... When someone's about to die.'**

**'Whoa. You said 'you.' '**

**'No I didn't. I said 'someone. ''**

**'You meant 'you. ' As in me. '**

**'I meant you, like 'someone. ' Not you, you.'"**

"I'm having a headache" Nico says

** " 'Boys!' my mom said.**

**She pulled the wheel hard to the right, and I got a glimpse of a figure she'd swerved to avoid-a dark flutter-ing shape now lost behind us in the storm.**

**'What was that?' I asked.**

**'We're almost there,' my mother said, ignoring my question. 'Another mile. Please. Please. Please.' "**

Nobody dared to talk

**"I didn't know where there was, but I found myself leaning forward in the car, anticipating, wanting us to arrive.**

**Outside, nothing but rain and darkness-the kind of empty countryside you get way out on the tip of Long Island. I thought about Mrs. Dodds and the moment when she'd changed into the thing with pointed teeth and leath-ery wings. My limbs went numb from delayed shock. She really hadn't been human. She'd meant to kill me.**

**Then I thought about Mr. Brunner ... And the sword he had thrown me. Before I could ask Grover about that, the hair rose on the back of my neck. There was a blinding flash, a jaw-rattling boom!, and our car exploded."**

"Didn't Gabe said 'Not a scratch'?"

**"I remember feeling weightless, like I was being crushed, fried, and hosed down all at the same time.**

**I peeled my forehead off the back of the driver's seat and said, 'Ow.'**

**'Percy!' my mom shouted.**

**'I'm okay...'**

**I tried to shake off the daze. I wasn't dead. The car hadn't really exploded. We'd swerved into a ditch. Our driver's-side doors were wedged in the mud. The roof had cracked open like an eggshell and rain was pouring in."**

"Very descriptive"

**"Lightning. That was the only explanation. We'd been blasted right off the road."**

"I'm going to talk to dad about this" I say.

**"Next to me in the backseat was a big motionless lump. 'Grover!'**

**He was slumped over, blood trickling from the side of his mouth. I shook his furry hip, thinking, No! Even if you are half barnyard animal, you're my best friend and I don't want you to die!"**

"I love you too, man" Grover smiles at Percy.

**"Then he groaned 'Food,' and I knew there was hope."**

Laughs

**" 'Percy,' my mother said, 'we have to ...' Her voice faltered.**

**I looked back. In a flash of lightning, through the mud-spattered rear windshield, I saw a figure lumbering toward us on the shoulder of the road. The sight of it made my skin crawl. It was a dark silhouette of a huge guy, like a football player. He seemed to be holding a blanket over his head. His top half was bulky and fuzzy. His upraised hands made it look like he had horns."**

"He had horns" Percy mutters

**" I swallowed hard. 'Who is-'**

**'Percy,' my mother said, deadly serious. 'Get out of the car.'**

**My mother threw herself against the driver's-side door. It was jammed shut in the mud. I tried mine. Stuck too. I looked up desperately at the hole in the roof. It might've been an exit, but the edges were sizzling and smoking.**

**'Climb out the passenger's side!' my mother told me. 'Percy-you have to run. Do you see that big tree?'**

_Hey look! I make an appearance_

**" 'What?'**

**Another flash of lightning, and through the smoking hole in the roof I saw the tree she meant: a huge, White House Christmas tree-sized pine at the crest of the nearest hill."**

"I am- That is not a Christmas tree!" I say.

**" 'That's the property line,' my mom said. 'Get over that hill and you'll see a big farmhouse down in the valley. Run and don't look back. Yell for help. Don't stop until you reach the door.'**

**'Mom, you're coming too.' "**

"You are deadly loyal" Anubis says

**"Her face was pale, her eyes as sad as when she looked at the ocean.**

**'No!" I shouted. 'You are coming with me. Help me carry Grover.'**

**'Food!' Grover moaned, a little louder.**

**The man with the blanket on his head kept coming toward us, making his grunting, snorting noises. As he got closer, I realized he couldn't be holding a blanket over his head, because his hands-huge meaty hands-were swing-ing at his sides. There was no blanket. Meaning the bulky, fuzzy mass that was too big to be his head ... Was his head. And the points that looked like horns ...**

**'He doesn't want us,' my mother told me. 'He wants you. Besides, I can't cross the property line.' "**

"Why?" Carter asks.

"You'll find out, later" I answer

**" 'But...'**

**'We don't have time, Percy. Go. Please. '**

**I got mad, then-mad at my mother, at Grover the goat, at the thing with horns that was lumbering toward us slowly and deliberately like, like a bull.**

**I climbed across Grover and pushed the door open into the rain. 'We're going together. Come on, Mom.'**

**'I told you-'**

**'Mom! I am not leaving you. Help me with Grover.' "**

"You're obviously using Grover as an excuse for her to accompany you" Sadie says.

**"I didn't wait for her answer. I scrambled outside, dragging Grover from the car. He was surprisingly light, but I couldn't have carried him very far if my mom hadn't come to my aid.**

**Together, we draped Grover's arms over our shoulders and started stumbling uphill through wet waist- high grass."**

"I thought we had that trimmed?" Annabeth says

"_Thought_" I smile

**"Glancing back, I got my first clear look at the monster. He was seven feet tall, easy, his arms and legs like something from the cover of Muscle Man magazine-bulging biceps and triceps and a bunch of other 'ceps, all stuffed like baseballs under vein-webbed skin. He wore no clothes except under-wear-I mean, bright white Fruit of the Looms-which would've looked funny, except that the top half of his body was so scary. Coarse brown hair started at about his belly button and got thicker as it reached his shoulders.**

**His neck was a mass of muscle and fur leading up to his enormous head, which had a snout as long as my arm, snotty nostrils with a gleaming brass ring, cruel black eyes, and horns-enormous black-and- white horns with points you just couldn't get from an electric sharpener."**

"You friggin' fought a Minotaur unarmed?" Anubis says

Percy nods, uncomfortable with the look of awe everybody, besides Annabeth, was giving him.

"How are you alive?" Sadie asks. We, the demigods, smile.

**"I recognized the monster, all right. He had been in one of the first stories Mr. Brunner told us. But he couldn't be real.**

**I blinked the rain out of my eyes. 'That's-'**

**'Pasiphae's son,' my mother said. 'I wish I'd known how badly they want to kill you.' "**

"Everybody want to kill him" I laugh.

**" 'But he's the Min-'**

**'Don't say his name,' she warned. 'Names have power.'**

**The pine tree was still way too far-a hundred yards uphill at least."**

"Why, Thalia? why did you have-" I cut off Percy with a shock.

_Don't tell them that I was a tree_. I glared at him

**"I glanced behind me again.**

**The bull-man hunched over our car, looking in the win-dows-or not looking, exactly. More like snuffling, nuz-zling. I wasn't sure why he bothered, since we were only about fifty feet away.**

**'Food?' Grover moaned."**

"Yes, Grover. Food. You are the food" Sadie exclaims.

**" 'Shhh,' I told him. 'Mom, what's he doing? Doesn't he see us?'**

**'His sight and hearing are terrible,' she said. 'He goes by smell. But he'll figure out where we are soon enough.' "**

"Your mom's smart. are you sure she isn't a daughter of Athena?" I ask Percy.

"If she was then Annabeth would be my aunt" he says

**"As if on cue, the bull-man bellowed in rage. He picked up Gabe's Camaro by the torn roof, the chassis creaking and groaning. He raised the car over his head and threw it down the road. It slammed into the wet asphalt and skidded in a shower of sparks for about half a mile before coming to a stop. The gas tank exploded.**

**Not a scratch, I remembered Gabe saying.**

**Oops"**

"Only you would think of the car at a time like that, Percy"

**" 'Percy,' my mom said. 'When he sees us, he'll charge. Wait until the last second, then jump out of the way- directly sideways. He can't change directions very well once he's charging. Do you understand?'**

**'How do you know all this?'**

**'I've been worried about an attack for a long time. I should have expected this. I was selfish, keeping you near me.' "**

"Your mom? Selfish? Pfft, puh-leaze" Nico says.

**" 'Keeping me near you? But-'**

**Another bellow of rage, and the bull-man started tromping uphill.**

**He'd smelled us.**

**The pine tree was only a few more yards, but the hill was getting steeper and slicker, and Grover wasn't getting any lighter.**

**The bull-man closed in. Another few seconds and he'd be on top of us.**

**My mother must've been exhausted, but she shouldered Grover. 'Go, Percy! Separate! Remember what I said.'**

**I didn't want to split up, but I had the feeling she was right-it was our only chance. I sprinted to the left, turned, and saw the creature bearing down on me. His black eyes glowed with hate. He reeked like rotten meat."**

"Ew"

**"He lowered his head and charged, those razor-sharp horns aimed straight at my chest.**

**The fear in my stomach made me want to bolt, but that wouldn't work. I could never outrun this thing. So I held my ground, and at the last moment, I jumped to the side.**

**The bull-man stormed past like a freight train, then bellowed with frustration and turned, but not toward me this time, toward my mother, who was setting Grover down in the grass."**

"Sally, run!" Sadie says.

"You know she can't hear you, right?" Carter says.

"I know. But I'm being a good audience and think that I am in that situation" she says.

"I was in this situation" Percy says.

**"We'd reached the crest of the hill. Down the other side I could see a valley, just as my mother had said, and the lights of a farmhouse glowing yellow through the rain. But that was half a mile away. We'd never make it.**

**The bull-man grunted, pawing the ground. He kept eyeing my mother, who was now retreating slowly downhill, back toward the road, trying to lead the monster away from Grover.**

**'Run, Percy!' she told me. 'I can't go any farther. Run!' "**

"Your mother is brave" Anubis comments

**"But I just stood there, frozen in fear, as the monster charged her. She tried to sidestep, as she'd told me to do, but the monster had learned his lesson. His hand shot out and grabbed her by the neck as she tried to get away. He lifted her as she struggled, kicking and pummeling the air.**

**'Mom!'**

**She caught my eyes, managed to choke out one last word: 'Go!'**

**Then, with an angry roar, the monster closed his fists around my mother's neck, and she dissolved before my eyes, melting into light, a shimmering golden form, as if she were a holographic projection. A blinding flash, and she was simply ... Gone."**

Percy inhales deeply then exhales. Annabeth rubs soothing circles on his back and motions Zia to continue.

**" 'No!'**

**Anger replaced my fear. New found strength burned in my limbs-the same rush of energy I'd gotten when Mrs. Dodds grew talons.**

**The bull-man bore down on Grover, who lay helpless in the grass. The monster hunched over, snuffling my best friend, as if he were about to lift Grover up and make him dissolve too.**

**I couldn't allow that.**

**I stripped off my red rain jacket."**

"Is it a coincidence that you were wearing red?" Nico asks.

"Yep"

**" 'Hey!' I screamed, waving the jacket, running to one side of the monster. 'Hey, stupid! Ground beef!' "**

"Come on Percy! You can do better than that!" I exclaim

"Shut up, Airhead" he says

"See! You're already doing it"

**" 'Raaaarrrrr!' The monster turned toward me, shaking his meaty fists.**

**I had an idea"**

"Everybody hide! Percy has an idea!" Nico exclaims

**"a stupid idea,"**

"And he admits that it's stupid!" Nico continues.

**"but better than no idea at all. I put my back to the big pine tree and waved my red jacket in front of the bull-man, thinking I'd jump out of the way at the last moment.**

**But it didn't happen like that.**

**The bull-man charged too fast, his arms out to grab me whichever way I tried to dodge.**

**Time slowed down."**

"Funny how that phrase is practically describing your enemy" I say

"Your enemy is time?" Carter asks

"Yeah, you can say that"

**"My legs tensed. I couldn't jump sideways, so I leaped straight up, kicking off from the creature's head, using it as a springboard, turning in midair, and landing on his neck."**

We all look at him.

"How did you do that!" I insist

"I don't know! I was twelve!" he answers

"Exactly!"

**"How did I do that? I didn't have time to figure it out. A millisecond later, the monster's head slammed into the tree and the impact nearly knocked my teeth out."**

I clutch my stomach, remembering the pain from the impact.

**"The bull-man staggered around, trying to shake me. I locked my arms around his horns to keep from being thrown. Thunder and lightning were still going strong. The rain was in my eyes. The smell of rotten meat burned my nostrils.**

**The monster shook himself around and bucked like a rodeo bull. He should have just backed up into the tree and smashed me flat, but I was starting to realize that this thing had only one gear: forward."**

"Like Carter's driving" Sadie says.

**"Meanwhile, Grover started groaning in the grass. I wanted to yell at him to shut up, but the way I was getting tossed around, if I opened my mouth I'd bite my own tongue off.**

**'Food!' Grover moaned.**

**The bull-man wheeled toward him, pawed the ground again, and got ready to charge. I thought about how he had squeezed the life out of my mother, made her disappear in a flash of light, and rage filled me like high-octane fuel. I got both hands around one horn and I pulled backward with all my might."**

"You are not going to break his horn" I say

"Wanna bet?" Anubis smiles

"Yeah. What do you have?" I ask

He takes out a knife that is shaped weirdly and places it in the middle of our circle. I take out a cloak made from a pelt of a monster I killed and place it next to the knife.

**"The monster tensed, gave a surprised grunt, then-snap!"**

"Oh yeah" Anubis smiles and gets the pelt. He drapes it over his shoulders and smiles. I grumble about the arrows wasted on killing the monster.

**"The bull-man screamed and flung me through the air. I landed flat on my back in the grass. My head smacked against a rock. When I sat up, my vision was blurry, but I had a horn in my hands, a ragged bone weapon the size of a knife."**

"That's the horn you have in your cabin, right?" Nico asks. Percy nods.

**"The monster charged.**

**Without thinking, I rolled to one side and came up kneeling. As the monster barreled past, I drove the broken horn straight into his side, right up under his furry rib cage.**

**The bull-man roared in agony. He flailed, clawing at his chest, then began to disintegrate-not like my mother, in a flash of golden light, but like crumbling sand, blown away in chunks by the wind, the same way Mrs. Dodds had burst apart.**

**The monster was gone."**

"Percy just killed his second monster!"

**"The rain had stopped. The storm still rumbled, but only in the distance. I smelled like livestock and my knees were shaking. My head felt like it was splitting open. I was weak and scared and trembling with grief I'd just seen my mother vanish. I wanted to lie down and cry, but there was Grover, needing my help, so I managed to haul him up and stagger down into the valley, toward the lights of the farm-house. I was crying, calling for my mother, but I held on to Grover-I wasn't going to let him go.**

**The last thing I remember is collapsing on a wooden porch, looking up at a ceiling fan circling above me, moths flying around a yellow light, and the stern faces of a familiar-looking bearded man and a pretty girl, her blond hair curled like a princess's."**

"Love at first sight, eh, Perce?" Sadie smirks at him while he blushes.

"A princess's?" Annabeth raises her eyebrow

"It's just his way of saying, 'She's gorgeous' with saying it directly" I smile

**"They both looked down at me, and the girl said, 'He's the one. He must be.' "**

"Yes, Annabeth, he is the one. He will be your future boyfriend" Grover smiles.

**" 'Silence, Annabeth,' the man said. 'He's still conscious. Bring him inside.' "**

"Done" Zia says.

"Give me the damned book" Annabeth says and reaches for it. She was about to open the book until another vortex opens up.

**:linebreak:  
A/N: YEah. That's the next chapter ;)**


	6. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey, an update. *swerves right to avoid a staff-turned-into-lion***

**Yeah! I know! I know!**

**I haven't update for so long.**

**Anyways...**

**Annabeth's POV**

From the vortex, another person drops.

Okay, it isn't a person. It looked like a cat.

She wailed like a cat and fell on her feet. On the beanies, no doubt.

Her black hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail and she was wearing a leopard jumpsuit. Her features were feline.

She turned to us and hissed.

"Bast!" Sadie and Carter says.

The woman turns and hugs the two, "My kittens! I've been looking for you!" she says.

She turns to Anubis in disgust, "Dog"

"Cat" he replies.

She turns to Zia, "Hello, my dear"

"Hey Bast" Zia smiles.

Carter looks at us and he says, "Bast, these are our demigod friends"

"And satyr" Grover inserts.

She looks at us and sniffs the air, "No wonder they smell wrong"

"Oh great, another person who complains about our smell. Jokes on you, we can't remove it. No matter how many baths we take in a day" Percy says. I hit him on the gut.

"You children smell like gods, but faint" she says.

"They're demigods, Bast. Half-god and half-mortal." Sadie explains.

She glares at us. "Greeks?" she says. We nod

"_Hiss._ I hate the Greeks. Invaded Ancient Egypt during-"

"Yeah, yeah, we know, we know. You hate us. If you want to kill us, get in line" Percy says.

"PERCY!" we say at him.

"Do you really want to be in another god's bad side?" Nico says.

"It's a talent" he smiles.

Thalia rolls her eyes, "Who are you?"

"Bast, Egyptian goddess of the cats"

"You don't say" Nico mutters.

"I'm Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus" Thalia says.

"Daughter of the god of lightning and of the King of the Gods. Impressive" Bast says

"Wait, does that make Thalia a princess?" Nico says.

"If Thalia's a princess then I'm a snail" Grover says.

Nico looks at Bast, "Nico di Angelo, son of Hades"

"No wonder you reek of death" Bast mutters.

"For once I agree with the cat" Anubis says.

Bast turns towards Grover, "What about you, goat?"

"I'm Grover Underwood, Lord of the Wild" he says.

"What about you two?" she says to us.

"I'm Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena" I say.

"Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon" Percy says.

"A child of Wisdom and a child of sea together? I'd never thought I'd see those two together" Bast smirks, "Does your parents try to separate you two?"

"Yeah, even before we were dating" I smile.

"What do you mean '_I'd never thought I'd see those two together' _?" Sadie asks

"Poseidon and Athena are enemies" Carter says.

"So, my kittens," she turns to the Kane siblings, "what are you doing here and leaving the Brooklyn house unattended?"

"We..." Sadie explains what happened.

"Plus, Jaz and Julian are there at the house. They can supervise it" Carter says.

Bast nods and plops herself down on a beanie between Grover and Carter, "What are reading here?" she asks.

Zia explains to her what we were reading and what has happened. Fortunately, it's not that much.

"So, we're learning about your adventures. Interesting. Continue reading" Bast says.

Iopen the book,** "I PLAY PINOCHLE WITH A HORSE" **

"Pinochle?" Carter asks.

"A card game" Percy answers

**"I had weird dreams full of barnyard animals. Most of them wanted to kill me. The rest wanted food." **

"Proof of your crazy imagination" Thalia says.

**"I must've woken up several times, but what I heard and saw made no sense, so I just passed out again. I remember lying in a soft bed, being spoon-fed something that tasted like buttered popcorn, only it was pudding. The girl with curly blond hair hovered over me, smirking as she scraped drips off my chin with the spoon." **

"Checking if he was fine, I see?" Nico grins at Annabeth

**"When she saw my eyes open, she asked, 'What will happen at the summer solstice?'**

**I managed to croak, 'What?' " **

"The dude just woke up. Give him a break" Anubis, surprisingly, says.

**"She looked around, as if afraid someone would over-hear. 'What's going on? What was stolen? We've only got a few weeks!'**

**'I'm sorry,' I mumbled, 'I don't...'**

**Somebody knocked on the door, and the girl quickly filled my mouth with pudding." **

"So that is how we shut Percy up. Intriguing" Nico and Thalia grins.

**"The next time I woke up, the girl was gone." **

"You already miss Annabeth" Sadie smiles.

**"A husky blond dude, like a surfer, stood in the corner of the bedroom keeping watch over me. He had blue eyes- at least a dozen of them-on his cheeks, his forehead, the backs of his hands." **

"That's just plain scary" Zia mutters.

**"When I finally came around for good, there was nothing weird about my surroundings, except that they were nicer than I was used to. I was sitting in a deck chair on a huge porch, gazing across a meadow at green hills in the distance. The breeze smelled like strawberries. There was a blanket over my legs, a pillow behind my neck. All that was great, but my mouth felt like a scorpion had been using it for a nest. My tongue was dry and nasty and every one of my teeth hurt.**

**On the table next to me was a tall drink. It looked like iced apple juice, with a green straw and a paper parasol stuck through a maraschino cherry.**

**My hand was so weak I almost dropped the glass once I got my fingers around it.**

**'Careful, ' a familiar voice said.**

**Grover was leaning against the porch railing, looking like he hadn't slept in a week. Under one arm, he cradled a shoe box. He was wearing blue jeans, Converse hi-tops and a bright orange T-shirt that said CAMP HALF-BLOOD. Just plain old Grover, Not the goat boy." **

Grover goes over to Percy and points at his horns, "Do you see this, Percy! These are goat horns. I am, technically, a goat boy!"

Percy shoos him away, "Yeah, yeah, we know. I was twelve here! I didn't know"

Grover sits down, smiling.

**"So maybe I'd had a nightmare. Maybe my mom was okay. We were still on vacation, and we'd stopped here at this big house for some reason. And ...**

**'You saved my life, ' Grover said. 'I... Well, the least I could do ... I went back to the hill. I thought you might want this. '**

**Reverently, he placed the shoe box in my lap.**

**Inside was a black-and-white bull's horn, the base jagged from being broken off, the tip splattered with dried blood. It hadn't been a nightmare.**

**'The Minotaur,' I said.**

**'Um, Percy, it isn't a good idea-'**

**'That's what they call him in the Greek myths, isn't it?' I demanded. 'The Minotaur. Half man, half bull.' " **

"Now I'm surprised you're alive" Thalia says.

"Why?" Sadie asks.

"If we have the worst luck ever *cough* Percy *cough*, whenever we say the name of a monster, it'll appear. It's like calling them from the pits of Tartarus"

**"Grover shifted uncomfortably. 'You've been out for two days. How much do you remember?'**

**'My mom. Is she really ... '**

**He looked down.**

**I stared across the meadow. There were groves of trees, a winding stream, acres of strawberries spread out under the blue sky. The valley was surrounded by rolling hills, and the tallest one, directly in front of us, was the one with the huge pine tree on top. Even that looked beautiful in the sunlight." **

"Aw, Percy. I'm flattered" Thalia teasingly says.

"Why are you flattered?" Bast says. Thalia fell silent.

**"My mother was gone. The whole world should be black and cold. Nothing should look beautiful." **

"You really love your mom" Carter says.

**" 'I'm sorry, ' Grover sniffled. 'I'm a failure. I'm-I'm the worst satyr in the world. '**

**He moaned, stomping his foot so hard it came off. I mean, the Converse hi-top came off. The inside was filled with Styrofoam, except for a hoof-shaped hole.**

**'Oh, Styx!' he mumbled.**

**Thunder rolled across the clear sky.**

**As he struggled to get his hoof back in the fake foot, I thought, Well, that settles it.**

**Grover was a satyr. I was ready to bet that if I shaved his curly brown hair, I'd find tiny horns on his head." **

Grover clutched his hair, "Bleh-eh-eh. Don't you dare, Percy. I love my 'do"

**"But I was too miserable to care that satyrs existed, or even minotaurs." **

"Too miserable to know about what your bestfriend really is? That's just sad" Nico mutters.

**"All that meant was my mom really had been squeezed into nothingness, dissolved into yellow light.**

**I was alone. An orphan. I would have to live with ... Smelly Gabe? No. That would never happen. I would live on the streets first. I would pretend I was seventeen and join the army. I'd do something.**

**Grover was still sniffling. The poor kid-poor goat, satyr, whatever-looked as if he expected to be hit.**

**I said, 'It wasn't your fault. '**

**'Yes, it was. I was supposed to protect you. '**

**'Did my mother ask you to protect me?'**

**'No. But that's my job. I'm a keeper. At least... I was. '**

**'But why ... ' I suddenly felt dizzy, my vision swimming. " **

"This what happens when Percy thinks too much" Thalia laughs, the other joining in.

"Don't strain yourself, Percy" Nico laughs also.

**'Don't strain yourself, ' Grover said. **

"Ahh! I think like a goat!" Nico says.

** " 'Here. ' He helped me hold my glass and put the straw to my lips.**

**I recoiled at the taste, because I was expecting apple juice. It wasn't that at all. It was chocolate-chip cookies. Liquid cookies. And not just any cookies-my mom's homemade blue chocolate-chip cookies, buttery and hot, with the chips still melting. Drinking it, my whole body felt warm and good, full of energy. My grief didn't go away, but I felt as if my mom had just brushed her hand against my cheek, given me a cookie the way she used to when I was small, and told me everything was going to be okay.**

**Before I knew it, I'd drained the glass. I stared into it, sure I'd just had a warm drink, but the ice cubes hadn't even melted.**

**'Was it good?' Grover asked.**

**I nodded.**

**'What did it taste like?' He sounded so wistful, I felt guilty.**

**'Sorry, ' I said. 'I should've let you taste. '**

**His eyes got wide. 'No! That's not what I meant. I just... Wondered. '**

**'Chocolate-chip cookies, ' I said. 'My mom's. Home-made. '**

**He sighed. 'And how do you feel?'**

**'Like I could throw Nancy Bobofit a hundred yards. '**

**'That's good, ' he said. 'That's good. I don't think you could risk drinking any more of that stuff'**

**'What do you mean?'**

**He took the empty glass from me gingerly, as if it were dynamite, and set it back on the table. 'Come on. Chiron and Mr. D are waiting. '**

**The porch wrapped all the way around the farmhouse.**

**My legs felt wobbly, trying to walk that far. Grover offered to carry the Minotaur horn, but I held on to it. I'd paid for that souvenir the hard way. I wasn't going to let it go.**

**As we came around the opposite end of the house, I caught my breath.**

**We must've been on the north shore of Long Island, because on this side of the house, the valley marched all the way up to the water, which glittered about a mile in the distance. Between here and there, I simply couldn't process everything I was seeing. The landscape was dotted with buildings that looked like ancient Greek architecture-an open-air pavilion, an amphitheater, a circular arena-except that they all looked brand new, their white marble columns sparkling in the sun. In a nearby sandpit, a dozen high school-age kids and satyrs played volleyball. Canoes glided across a small lake. Kids in bright orange T-shirts like Grover's were chasing each other around a cluster of cabins nestled in the woods. Some shot targets at an archery range. Others rode horses down a wooded trail, and, unless I was hallucinating, some of their horses had wings." **

"They are called pegasus, Percy. They are winged horse that have saved you a couple of times now" Grover says.

**"Down at the end of the porch, two men sat across from each other at a card table. The blond-haired girl who'd spoon-fed me popcorn-flavored pudding was leaning on the porch rail next to them.**

**The man facing me was small, but porky. He had a red nose, big watery eyes, and curly hair so black it was almost purple. He looked like those paintings of baby angels- what do you call them, hubbubs? No, cherubs. That's it. He looked like a cherub who'd turned middle-aged in a trailer park. He wore a tiger- pattern Hawaiian shirt, and he would've fit right in at one of Gabe's poker parties, except I got the feeling this guy could've out-gambled even my step-father.**

**'That's Mr. D, ' Grover murmured to me. 'He's the camp director. Be polite. The girl, that's Annabeth Chase. She's just a camper, but she's been here longer than just about anybody. And you already know Chiron... . '**

**He pointed at the guy whose back was to me.**

**First, I realized he was sitting in the wheelchair. Then I recognized the tweed jacket, the thinning brown hair, the scraggly beard.**

**'Mr. Brunner!' I cried."**

Facepalms around the room.

**"The Latin teacher turned and smiled at me. His eyes had that mischievous glint they sometimes got in class when he pulled a pop quiz and made all the multiple choice answers B.**

**'Ah, good, Percy,' he said. 'Now we have four for pinochle. '**

**He offered me a chair to the right of Mr. D, who looked at me with bloodshot eyes and heaved a great sigh. 'Oh, I suppose I must say it. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood. There. Now, don't expect me to be glad to see you. '**

**'Uh, thanks. ' I scooted a little farther away from him because, if there was one thing I had learned from living with Gabe, it was how to tell when an adult has been hit-ting the happy juice. If Mr. D was a stranger to alcohol, I was a satyr.**

**'Annabeth?' Mr. Brunner called to the blond girl." **

"You already know her name, yet you still call her 'the blonde girl'" Zia says.

**"She came forward and Mr. Brunner introduced us. 'This young lady nursed you back to health, Percy. Annabeth, my dear, why don't you go check on Percy's bunk? We'll be putting him in cabin eleven for now. '**

**Annabeth said, 'Sure, Chiron. '**

**She was probably my age, maybe a couple of inches taller, and a whole lot more athletic looking. With her deep tan and her curly blond hair, she was almost exactly what I thought a stereotypical California girl would look like, except her eyes ruined the image." **

"And why is that, Percy?" I ask him.

"Just continue reading" he answers

**"They were startling gray, like storm clouds; pretty, but intimidating, too, as if she were analyzing the best way to take me down in a fight.**

**She glanced at the minotaur horn in my hands, then back at me. I imagined she was going to say, You killed a minotaur! or Wow, you're so awesome! or something like that." **

"Your ego is getting bigger by the second" Sadie says.

**"Instead she said, 'You drool when you sleep. ' " **

Cue laughter.

"Typ-typical An-annabeth" Thalia stutters, clutching her stomach.

**"Then she sprinted off down the lawn, her blond hair flying behind her.**

**'So, ' I said, anxious to change the subject. 'You, uh, work here, Mr. Brunner?'**

**'Not Mr. Brunner, ' the ex-Mr. Brunner said. 'I'm afraid that was a pseudonym. You may call me Chiron. '**

**'Okay. ' Totally confused, I looked at the director. 'And Mr. D ... Does that stand for something?'**

**Mr. D stopped shuffling the cards. He looked at me like I'd just belched loudly. 'Young man, names are powerful things. You don't just go around using them for no reason. '**

**'Oh. Right. Sorry. '**

**'I must say, Percy, ' Chiron-Brunner broke in, 'I'm glad to see you alive. It's been a long time since I've made a house call to a potential camper. I'd hate to think I've wasted my time. '**

**'House call?'**

**"My year at Yancy Academy, to instruct you. We have satyrs at most schools, of course, keeping a lookout. But Grover alerted me as soon as he met you. He sensed you were something special, so I decided to come upstate. I convinced the other Latin teacher to ... Ah, take a leave of absence. '**

**I tried to remember the beginning of the school year. It seemed like so long ago, but I did have a fuzzy memory of there being another Latin teacher my first week at Yancy. Then, without explanation, he had disappeared and Mr. Brunner had taken the class.**

**'You came to Yancy just to teach me?' I asked." **

"His ego is inflating now" Thalia mutters.

**"Chiron nodded. 'Honestly, I wasn't sure about you at first. We contacted your mother, let her know we were keeping an eye on you in case you were ready for Camp Half-Blood. But you still had so much to learn. Nevertheless, you made it here alive, and that's always the first test. ' " **

"That's a weird test" Sadie says.

"Yeah, you can't cheat" Nico says.

"But you do have help. Especially if you came in pairs and the satyr is conscious" Grover says.

"Are you still beating yourself up? After all these years" Thalia says to Grover

"Hey! Whenever I look at you or Sally or Nico, I get reminded that I had failed!" he says.

"You do know you're not a failure" Carter says.

**"'Grover, ' Mr. D said impatiently, 'are you playing or not?'**

**'Yes, sir!' Grover trembled as he took the fourth chair, though I didn't know why he should be so afraid of a pudgy little man in a tiger-print Hawaiian shirt.**

**'You do know how to play pinochle?' Mr. D eyed me suspiciously.**

**'I'm afraid not,' I said.**

**'I'm afraid not, sir, ' he said.**

**'Sir, 'I repeated. I was liking the camp director less and less.**

**'Well, ' he told me, 'it is, along with gladiator fighting and Pac-Man, one of the greatest games ever invented by humans. I would expect all civilized young men to know the rules.' " **

"Even if every civilized young men would know, Percy is not a civilized young man" Nico smile.

**" 'I'm sure the boy can learn, ' Chiron said.**

**'Please, ' I said, 'what is this place? What am I doing here? Mr. Brun-Chiron-why would you go to Yancy Academy just to teach me?'**

**Mr. D snorted.'I asked the same question. '**

**The camp director dealt the cards. Grover flinched every time one landed in his pile.**

**Chiron smiled at me sympathetically, the way he used to in Latin class, as if to let me know that no matter what my average was, I was his star student. He expected me to have the right answer.**

**'Percy, ' he said. 'Did your mother tell you nothing?'**

**'She said ... ' I remembered her sad eyes, looking out over the sea. 'She told me she was afraid to send me here, even though my father had wanted her to. She said that once I was here, I probably couldn't leave. She wanted to keep me close to her. '**

**'Typical, ' Mr. D said. 'That's how they usually get killed. Young man, are you bidding or not?'**

**'What?' I asked.**

**He explained, impatiently, how you bid in pinochle, and so I did.**

**'I'm afraid there's too much to tell, ' Chiron said. 'I'm afraid our usual orientation film won't be sufficient. '**

**'Orientation film?' I asked." **

"No wonder you were so slow, Seaweed brain. You never saw the film" I say

**'No, ' Chiron decided. 'Well, Percy. You know your friend Grover is a satyr. You know'-he pointed to the horn in the shoe box-'that you have killed the Minotaur. No small feat, either, lad. What you may not know is that great powers are at work in your life. Gods-the forces you call the Greek gods-are very much alive. '**

**I stared at the others around the table, ****waited for somebody to yell, _Not!_ But all I got was Mr. D yelling, 'Oh, a royal marriage. Trick! Trick!' He cackled as he tallied up his points.**

**'Mr. D, ' Grover asked timidly, 'if you're not going to eat it, could I have your Diet Coke can?'**

**'Eh? Oh, all right. '**

**Grover bit a huge shard out of the empty aluminum can and chewed it mournfully." **

"Ah, Grover. Our personal tin can grinder" Thalia smiles.

**" 'Wait, ' I told Chiron. 'You're telling me there's such a thing as God. '**

**'Well, now, " Chiron said. "God-capital G, God. That's a different matter altogether. We shan't deal with the metaphysical.'**

**'Metaphysical? But you were just talking about-'**

**'Ah, gods, plural, as in, great beings that control the forces of nature and human endeavors: the immortal gods of Olympus. That's a smaller matter. '**

**'Smaller?'**

**'Yes, quite. The gods we discussed in Latin class. '**

**'Zeus, ' I said. 'Hera. Apollo. You mean them. ' " **

"How are you still alive, young man?" Bast asks him.

Percy shrugs, "Luck, I think"

**"And there it was again-distant thunder on a cloud-less day.**

**'Young man, ' said Mr. D, 'I would really be less casual about throwing those names around, if I were you. '**

**'But they're stories, ' I said. 'They're-myths, to explain lightning and the seasons and stuff. They're what people believed before there was science. '**

**'Science!' Mr. D scoffed. 'And tell me, Perseus Jackson'-I flinched when he said my real name, which I never told anybody-'what will people think of your _'science'_ two thousand years from now?' Mr. D continued. 'Hmm? They will call it primitive mumbo jumbo. That's what. Oh, I love mortals-they have absolutely no sense of perspective. They think they've come so-o-o far. And have they, Chiron? Look at this boy and tell me. '**

**I wasn't liking Mr. D much, but there was something about the way he called me mortal, as if... He wasn't. It was enough to put a lump in my throat, to suggest why Grover was dutifully minding his cards, chewing his soda can, and keeping his mouth shut.**

**'Percy, ' Chiron said, 'you may choose to believe or not, but the fact is that immortal means immortal. Can you imagine that for a moment, never dying? Never fading? Existing, just as you are, for all time?' " **

"He just had just described the feeling of being immortal in one sentence" Thalia and Bast say.

"I'm glad that I didn't accept the offer of immortality. I can't imagine existing without you" Percy whispers to me, making me blush slightly.

**"I was about to answer, off the top of my head, that it sounded like a pretty good deal, but the tone of Chiron's voice made me hesitate.**

**'You mean, whether people believed in you or not,' I said." **

"What about Briares?" Percy asks.

"That's a different case, Perce" Grover says.

**" 'Exactly, ' Chiron agreed. 'If you were a god, how would you like being called a myth, an old story to explain lightning? What if I told you, Perseus Jackson, that some-day people would call you a myth, just created to explain how little boys can get over losing their mothers?' " **

"That was a blow below the gut!" Zia says.

**"My heart pounded. He was trying to make me angry for some reason, but I wasn't going to let him. I said, 'I wouldn't like it. But I don't believe in gods. '**

**'Oh, you'd better, ' Mr. D murmured. 'Before one of them incinerates you. '**

**Grover said, 'P-please, sir. He's just lost his mother. He's in shock. '**

**'A lucky thing, too, ' Mr. D grumbled, playing a card. 'Bad enough I'm confined to this miserable job, working with boys who don't even believe.'**

**He waved his hand and a goblet appeared on the table, as if the sunlight had bent, momentarily, and woven the air into glass. The goblet filled itself with red wine." **

"Magic" Nico smiles teasingly.

**"My jaw dropped, but Chiron hardly looked up.**

**'Mr. D, ' he warned, 'your restrictions. '**

**Mr. D looked at the wine and feigned surprise.**

**'Dear me. ' He looked at the sky and yelled, 'Old habits! Sorry!'**

**More thunder.**

**Mr. D waved his hand again, and the wineglass changed into a fresh can of Diet Coke. He sighed unhappily, popped the top of the soda, and went back to his card game." **

"I'll never look at Diet Coke the same way ever again" Carter mutters.

**"Chiron winked at me. 'Mr. D offended his father a while back, took a fancy to a wood nymph who had been declared off-limits. '**

**'A wood nymph, ' I repeated, still staring at the Diet Coke can like it was from outer space.**

**'Yes, ' Mr. D confessed. 'Father loves to punish me. The first time, Prohibition. Ghastly! Absolutely horrid ten years! The second time-well, she really was pretty, and I couldn't stay away-the second time, he sent me here. Half-Blood Hill. Summer camp for brats like you. 'Be a better influence, ' he told me. 'Work with youths rather than tearing them down. ' Ha. ' Absolutely unfair. '**

**Mr. D sounded about six years old, like a pouting little kid.**

**'And ... ' I stammered, 'your father is ... '**

**'Di immortales, Chiron, ' Mr. D said. 'I thought you taught this boy the basics. My father is Zeus, of course. '**

**I ran through D names from Greek mythology. Wine. The skin of a tiger. The satyrs that all seemed to work here. The way Grover cringed, as if Mr. D were his master.**

**'You're Dionysus, ' I said. 'The god of wine.' " **

"Of course. _Him_" Bast says.

"Do you have something against our _dear, dear, lovely _camp counselor?" Percy says sarcastically.

"One time, one of my scouts, a Persian, accidentally stepped into the camp borders. He turned it into a strawberry in a snap. Until now, it's complaining."

I tried very hard not to laugh.

**"Mr. D rolled his eyes. 'What do they say, these days, Grover? Do the children say, 'Well, duh!'?'**

**'Y-yes, Mr. D. '**

**'Then, well, duh! Percy Jackson. Did you think I was Aphrodite, perhaps?'" **

"Not even close!" Percy exclaims.

"Have you seen the goddess of love herself, Percy?" Nico and Thalia raise an eyebrow, grinning at him mischievously. Everybody else was trying hard not to laugh at Percy's red face.

"Yeah, during that quest with well, Zoe..." he trails off.

"Who did you see?" I ask him.

"Uh...back to the story"

**" 'You're a god. '**

**'Yes, child. '**

**'A god. You.' " **

"It's hard to believe, I know" Sadie says.

**"He turned to look at me straight on, and I saw a kind of purplish fire in his eyes, a hint that this whiny, plump little man was only showing me the tiniest bit of his true nature. I saw visions of grape vines choking unbelievers to death, drunken warriors insane with battle lust, sailors screaming as their hands turned to flippers, their faces elongating into dolphin snouts. I knew that if I pushed him, Mr. D would show me worse things. He would plant a disease in my brain that would leave me wearing a strait-jacket in a rubber room for the rest of my life." **

"He's scary now" Zia says.

**" 'Would you like to test me, child?' he said quietly.**

**'No. No, sir. '**

**The fire died a little. He turned back to his card game. 'I believe I win. '**

**'Not quite, Mr. D, ' Chiron said. He set down a straight, tallied the points, and said, 'The game goes to me. '**

**I thought Mr. D was going to vaporize Chiron right out of his wheelchair, but he just sighed through his nose, as if he were used to being beaten by the Latin teacher. He got up, and Grover rose, too.**

**'I'm tired, ' Mr. D said. 'I believe I'll take a nap before the sing-along tonight. But first, Grover, we need to talk, again, about your less-than-perfect performance on this assignment. '**

**Grover's face beaded with sweat. 'Y-yes, sir. '**

**Mr. D turned to me. 'Cabin eleven, Percy Jackson. And mind your manners. '**

**He swept into the farmhouse, Grover following miserably.**

**'Will Grover be okay?' I asked Chiron.**

**Chiron nodded, though he looked a bit troubled. 'Old Dionysus isn't really mad. He just hates his job. He's been ... Ah, grounded, I guess you would say, and he can't stand waiting another century before he's allowed to go back to Olympus. '**

**'Mount Olympus, ' I said. 'You're telling me there really is a palace there?'**

**'Well now, there's Mount Olympus in Greece. And then there's the home of the gods, the convergence point of their powers, which did indeed used to be on Mount Olympus. It's still called Mount Olympus, out of respect to the old ways, but the palace moves, Percy, just as the gods do. '**

**'You mean the Greek gods are here? Like ... In America?'**

**'Well, certainly. The gods move with the heart of the West. '**

**'The what?'**

**'Come now, Percy. What you call 'Western civilization. ' Do you think it's just an abstract concept? No, it's a living force. A collective consciousness that has burned bright for thousands of years. The gods are part of it. You might even say they are the source of it, or at least, they are tied so tightly to it that they couldn't possibly fade, not unless all of Western civilization were obliterated. The fire started in Greece. Then, as you well know-or as I hope you know, since you passed my course-the heart of the fire moved to Rome, and so did the gods. Oh, different names, perhaps-Jupiter for Zeus, Venus for Aphrodite, and so on-but the same forces, the same gods. '**

**'And then they died.' " **

"Such a happy thought, eh, Percy? Our parents died before we were born" Thalia glares at him.

"I was twelve, okay!" he answers back

**" 'Died? No. Did the West die? The gods simply moved, to Germany, to France, to Spain, for a while. Wherever the flame was brightest, the gods were there. They spent several centuries in England. All you need to do is look at the architecture." **

"Yes, look at the architecture" I smile.

**"People do not forget the gods. Every place they've ruled, for the last three thousand years, you can see them in paintings, in statues, on the most important buildings. And yes, Percy, of course they are now in your United States. Look at your symbol, the eagle of Zeus. Look at the statue of Prometheus in Rockefeller Center, the Greek facades of your government buildings in Washington. I defy you to find any American city where the Olympians are not prominently displayed in multiple places. Like it or not-and believe me, plenty of people weren't very fond of Rome, either- America is now the heart of the flame. It is the great power of the West. And so Olympus is here. And we are here.'**

**It was all too much, especially the fact that I seemed to be included in Chiron's we, as if I were part of some club.**

**'Who are you, Chiron? Who ... Who am I?' " **

"Wow, that was deep, Percy" Grover and Nico say. They look at each other, then shrugged.

"Dramatic much, eh?" Carter says.

" I. Was. Twelve" Percy says.

"If you say those words again, you give me 5 drachmas" Nico says.

"You're on" Percy smiles.

**"Chiron smiled. He shifted his weight as if he were going to get up out of his wheelchair, but I knew that was impossible. He was paralyzed from the waist down.**

**'Who are you?' he mused. 'Well, that's the question we all want answered, isn't it? But for now, we should get you a bunk in cabin eleven. There will be new friends to meet. And plenty of time for lessons tomorrow. Besides, there will be s'mores at the campfire tonight, and I simply adore chocolate.' " **

"Understatement" I grin. The other campers smile.

"He loves chocolates as much as I love enchiladas" Grover says.

"So, you guys have campfires every night?" Anubis says.

"It isn't camp if there's no campfire" Carter smiles.

**"And then he did rise from his wheelchair. But there was something odd about the way he did it. His blanket fell away from his legs, but the legs didn't move. His waist kept getting longer, rising above his belt. At first, I thought he was wearing very long, white velvet underwear," **

"What the Hades? If you are thinking those kind of thoughts when you were twelve, I'm scared what would be going in your head in the next books" Thalia says.

**"but as he kept rising out of the chair, taller than any man, I realized that the velvet underwear wasn't underwear; it was the front of an animal, muscle and sinew under coarse white fur. And the wheelchair wasn't a chair. It was some kind of container, an enormous box on wheels, and it must've been magic, because there's no way it could've held all of him. A leg came out, long and knobby-kneed, with a huge polished hoof. Then another front leg, then hindquarters, and then the box was empty, nothing but a metal shell with a couple of fake human legs attached." **

"Where does he buy that?" Sadie says.

"Campers make it" I answer.

**"I stared at the horse who had just sprung from the wheelchair: a huge white stallion. But where its neck should be was the upper body of my Latin teacher, smoothly grafted to the horse's trunk.**

**'What a relief, ' the centaur said. 'I'd been cooped up in there so long, my fetlocks had fallen asleep. Now, come, Percy Jackson. Let's meet the other campers.' ". **

"So...Chiron is a half-horse dude" Sadie says.

"A centaur, Sadie" Bast says, "Chiron is nicer than his other relatives"

The demigods and Grover smile at the memory of the Party Ponies.

"Party Ponies for the win!" Nico says.

"Texas chapter rocks!" Percy says.

"I prefer South Florida" Thalia says.

"Only because they helped you" I say. "So, who's gonna read next?"

"I will" Anubis says. He takes the book from me and sits next to Sadie.

* * *

**Sadie's POV**

**"I BECOME SUPREME LORD ****OF THE BATHROOM" **Anubis reads.

"Hey Percy, you have a new title, besides Hero of Olympus, son of Poseidon, defeater of Kronos, defeater of Hyperion, defeater of Atl-"

"Yeah, yeah, Nico. I get it. Another addition title is 'Supreme Lord of the Bathroom'. Which reminds me..." Percy raises his hand.

Nothing happened.

Nico laughed, "What are-"

_WHOOSH _

Water pushed open the doors and Nico was blasted to the wall with water. Grover had ducked just in time to avoid the water. Thalia leaned back to much that she fell over. Bast jumped back into Carter's lap.

"Water!" she exclaims.

Once a kitty cat, always a kitty cat. She _is_ the goddess of cats.

The water continued to hit Nico. When it ended, Nico was dripping wet, but the floor was not.

He sputtered out water and glared at Percy through his water-soaked, black hair, a sneer on his mouth.

"I'm gonna..." he stands up, an action difficult if your shirt and jacket absorbed so much water, and raises his sword and plunged it into the ground, passing the cement like butter.

That blade must've been deadly sharp.

His black sword made cracks and the cracks opened. Skeleton warriors popped out from the cracks like evil daisies. Their eye sockets were hollow and their armor was scratched and dented, but still strong. They looked like they were filled with shadows.

They raised their weapons and stared at Percy.

That's it. I'm scared. I'm not afraid of suddenly-appearing skeletons, but the hatred and anger they show. I grasped Anubis' arm as he watches in amazement, muttering "he's still young. How?"

The skeletons charges, but a huge thunder rumbled outside. The windows and door open and a huge gust of wind arrives.

Thalia is now standing, her electric blue eyes sparking, literally. She had her hand in front of her and her fingertips were crackling with electricity. Her hair was flying in the wind, including ours. Annabeth was glaring at Percy, who was grinning sheepishly at her. Grover was still on the ground, hiding his head.

Thalia directed her hand at the skeletons, who were frozen and looking at the commotion, and lightning flashed at them. They disintegrate into dust and the shadows retreated to the crack. Thalia fisted her hand and the winds left the house. She turned to Nico, who was glaring at her angry. She walked towards him and unsheathed her sword. Nico raised his sword and lashed at her.

"You killed obliterated my first group of skeletons!" he says.

Thalia parried the strike with her sword and she got hold of Nico's bare hand. She touches it and Nico shouted in pain, and he slumped on the ground, still breathing.

"Damn you...Thals" he grits his teeth. He tries to stand up, but Grover helps him to sit in his beanbag.

Thalia then turns to Percy, who had a blank face. She walks up to him, pushes Annabeth out of the way, and grabs hold of both of Percy's wrist. Her hands were covered in sparks. Percy's arm was now covered in a layer of electricity, but he hasn't winced.

"You know you can't do anything, Thalia" he says.

Thalia glares at him and gives him a roundhouse kick on the head.

"Ow!" Percy says.

"That was for reacting childishly ," she turns to Nico and slaps him on the face lightly, "and that was for not taking control of your temper"

Annabeth stands up slaps Thalia, "That was for startling them" she motions to us, who was looking at them wide-eyed. Thalia looks at us and gave us a grin that reads, _Sorry. _

"That was amazing!" I say.

"Aren't you guys tired? From doing those powerful things?" Carter asks.

"We've done more powerful things in the past" Nico says. He looks at the cracks he has made and clenches his fist. The cracks close, but left a scar on the floor.

"Ho-"

"They are half-gods, Carter. They are born to be powerful" Bast explains.

"What about-"

"No matter how powerful a magician may be, whether they are the Eye, they would still lose to a trained demigod, especially their specific kind" Bast points at the trio who just caused a ruckus.

"How?!" I ask.

"Their fathers are what they call the Big three; Zeus, Poseidon and Hades. They can also control those within their parent's control" Anubis answers.

"Anyways! Percy, dry up Nico. Thalia, close the windows and fix up your appearance. Nico, stop acting like a kid" Annabeth says.

"I _am_ a kid! Even by demigod standards!" Nico says, "And don't be angry with me. Your boyfriend over there is the reason. If he didn't shoot me with toilet water, I never would've summoned those skeletons and Thalia wouldn't have shocked me"

Annabeth glares at Percy, "Anything to say?"

"Uh...sorry?"

Annabeth face palms, "Are the pipes fixed?"

Percy nods.

She sits down, "If any of you do that again irresponsibly, I would be the one you'll be facing the next time" She says at the three. We, besides Percy, Nico and Thalia, snicker at the faces.

"Yes ma'am" Nico mutters, ruffling his hair.

"Good, now, can we continue the book? I'm getting hungry" Grover says. Anubis opens the book.

**"Once I got over the fact that my Latin teacher was a horse, we had a nice tour, though I was careful not to walk behind him. I'd done pooper-scooper patrol in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade a few times, and, I'm sorry, I did not trust Chiron's back end the way I trusted his front." **

"Oh, Percy..." Thalia shakes her head in disagreement.

**"We passed the volleyball pit. Several of the campers nudged each other. One pointed to the minotaur horn I was carrying. Another said, 'That's him. '**

**Most of the campers were older than me. Their satyr friends were bigger than Grover, all of them trotting around in orange CAMP HALF-BLOOD T-shirts, with nothing else to cover their bare shaggy hindquarters. I wasn't normally shy, but the way they stared at me made me uncomfortable. I felt like they were expecting me to do a flip or something." **

"DO A FLIP! DO A FLIP!" we chant.

"NO I WON'T! NO I WON'T" Percy chants back.

**"I looked back at the farmhouse. It was a lot bigger than I'd realized-four stories tall, sky blue with white trim, like an upscale seaside resort. I was checking out the brass eagle weather vane on top when something caught my eye, a shadow in the uppermost window of the attic gable. Something had moved the curtain, just for a second, and I got the distinct impression I was being watched.**

**'What's up there?' I asked Chiron.**

**He looked where I was pointing, and his smile faded. 'Just the attic. '**

**'Somebody lives there?'**

**'No, ' he said with finality. 'Not a single living thing.' " **

"Wow, Chiron is telling a lie _and _the truth" Thalia says.

**"I got the feeling he was being truthful. But I was also sure something had moved that curtain.**

**'Come along, Percy,' Chiron said, his lighthearted tone now a little forced. 'Lots to see. '**

**We walked through the strawberry fields, where campers were picking bushels of berries while a satyr played a tune on a reed pipe.**

**Chiron told me the camp grew a nice crop for export to New York restaurants and Mount Olympus. 'It pays our expenses, ' he explained. 'And the strawberries take almost no effort. '**

**He said Mr. D had this effect on fruit-bearing plants: they just went crazy when he was around. It worked best with wine grapes, but Mr. D was restricted from growing those, so they grew strawberries instead.**

**I watched the satyr playing his pipe. His music was causing lines of bugs to leave the strawberry patch in every direction, like refugees fleeing a fire. I wondered if Grover could work that kind of magic with music. I wondered if he was still inside the farmhouse, getting chewed out by Mr. D.**

**'Grover won't get in too much trouble, will he?' I asked Chiron. 'I mean ... He was a good protector. Really.' " **

"Thanks for the support, man" Grover says to Percy

"Anytime, G-man" Percy smiles back.

**"Chiron sighed. He shed his tweed jacket and draped it over his horses back like a saddle. 'Grover has big dreams, Percy. Perhaps bigger than are reasonable. To reach his goal, he must first demonstrate great courage by succeeding as a keeper, finding a new camper and bringing him safely to Half-Blood Hill. '**

**'But he did that!'**

**'I might agree with you, ' Chiron said. 'But it is not my place to judge. Dionysus and the Council of Cloven Elders must decide. I'm afraid they might not see this assignment as a success. After all, Grover lost you in New York. Then there's the unfortunate ... Ah ... Fate of your mother. And the fact that Grover was unconscious when you dragged him over the property line. The council might question whether this shows any courage on Grover's part.'**

**I wanted to protest. None of what happened was Grover's fault. I also felt really, really guilty. If I hadn't given Grover the slip at the bus station, he might not have gotten in trouble.**

**'He'll get a second chance, won't he?'**

**Chiron winced. 'I'm afraid that was Grover's second chance, Percy. The council was not anxious to give him another, either, after what happened the first time, five years ago. Olympus knows, I advised him to wait longer before trying again. He's still so small for his age... ."**

**'How old is he?'**

**'Oh, twenty-eight.' " **

"What?!" Zia, Carter and I exclaim

"Hey! I'm still young!" Grover says.

"How old are you know, if I may?" I ask.

"Turning 33" he grins.

**'What! And he's in sixth grade?'**

**'Satyrs mature half as fast as humans, Percy. Grover has been the equivalent of a middle school student for the past six years. '**

**'That's horrible.' " **

"I agree" Carter says.

**" 'Quite,' Chiron agreed. 'At any rate, Grover is a late bloomer, even by satyr standards, and not yet very accomplished at woodland magic. Alas, he was anxious to pursue his dream. Perhaps now he will find some other career... . '**

**'That's not fair,' I said. 'What happened the first time? Was it really so bad?'**

**Chiron looked away quickly. 'Let's move along, shall we?'**

**But I wasn't quite ready to let the subject drop. Something had occurred to me when Chiron talked about my mother's fate, as if he were intentionally avoiding the word death. The beginnings of an idea-a tiny, hopeful fire-started forming in my mind.**

**'Chiron, ' I said. 'If the gods and Olympus and all that are real ... '**

**'Yes, child?'**

**'Does that mean the Underworld is real, too?' " **

"You have weird thought as a twelve year old" Zia says.

"I was twelve!" Percy complains, then his eyes widen as Nico grins.

Percy takes out 5 huge golden coins the size of girl-scout cookies and hand them to Nico

**"Chiron's expression darkened.**

**'Yes, child. ' He paused, as if choosing his words carefully. 'There is a place where spirits go after death. But for now ... Until we know more ... I would urge you to put that out of your mind. '**

**'What do you mean, 'until we know more'?'**

**'Come, Percy. Let's see the woods. '**

**As we got closer, I realized how huge the forest was. It took up at least a quarter of the valley, with trees so tall and thick, you could imagine nobody had been in there since the Native Americans.**

**Chiron said, 'The woods are stocked, if you care to try your luck, but go armed. '**

**'Stocked with what?' I asked. 'Armed with what?'**

**'You'll see. Capture the flag is Friday night.' " **

"Hey! We were supposed to have Capture the Flag tonight" Annabeth says.

"Aw, come on!" Percy says, "Why do we have to miss it! Clarisse has a new sword and I want to break it in half!"

Nico smiles, "Percy: destroyer of Clarisse's new weapons"

**" 'Do you have your own sword and shield?'**

**'My own-?'**

**'No, ' Chiron said. 'I don't suppose you do. I think a size five will do. I'll visit the armory later.' " **

"Size five was way too big for me!" Percy says

"I think you were size 3, or 2. You were pretty small before" Annabeth says.

"Remember, I was still bigger than you" Percy smiles.

"But I was more quicker" she says.

**"I wanted to ask what kind of summer camp had an armory, but there was too much else to think about, so the tour continued. We saw the archery range, the canoeing lake, the stables (which Chiron didn't seem to like very much), the javelin range, the sing-along amphitheater, and the arena where Chiron said they held sword and spear fights.**

**'Sword and spear fights?' I asked.**

**'Cabin challenges and all that,' he explained. 'Not lethal. Usually. Oh, yes, and there's the mess hall.' " **

"What happens if you accidentally injured someone and the wound is pretty nasty?" I ask

"Nothing. The siblings might get angry at you, but other than that, nothing" Annabeth says.

"And if you kill someone?" Anubis asks

"Your desert privileges would be taken away for a week" Nico answers.

"A week only? And desert privileges?" Zia asks.

"Hey, the desert _is _pretty delicious" Percy answers.

**"Chiron pointed to an outdoor pavilion framed in white Grecian columns on a hill overlooking the sea. There were a dozen stone picnic tables. No roof. No walls.**

**'What do you do when it rains?' I asked.**

**Chiron looked at me as if I'd gone a little weird. 'We still have to eat, don't we?' I decided to drop the subject." **

"What do you guys do if it rains?" Zia asks

"Nothing. No rain ever pours down unless Chiron approves so"

"Oookaaayyy..."

**"Finally, he showed me the cabins. There were twelve of them, nestled in the woods by the lake. They were arranged in a U, with two at the base and five in a row on either side. And they were without doubt the most bizarre collection of buildings I'd ever seen.**

**Except for the fact that each had a large brass number above the door (odds on the left side, evens on the right), they looked absolutely nothing alike. Number nine had smokestacks, like a tiny factory." **

"Hephaestus cabin"

**"Number four had tomato vines on the walls and a roof made out of real grass." **

"Demeter cabin"

**"Seven seemed to be made of solid gold, which gleamed so much in the sunlight it was almost impossible to look at." **

"Apollo cabin"

** "They all faced a commons area about the size of a soccer field, dotted with Greek statues, fountains, flower beds, and a couple of basketball hoops (which were more my speed)." **

"Oh really? Or are you playing a _Carter_?" I smile

"A _Carter?" _Percy asks.

"Once, Carter acted like he knows basketball, and he lost to a couple of baboons" I laugh.

Everybody laughs at Carter's red face.

**"In the center of the field was a huge stone-lined firepit. Even though it was a warm afternoon, the hearth smoldered. A girl about nine years old was tending the flames, poking the coals with a stick." **

"Whose daughter was she?" Anubis asks.

"She wasn't a demigod. She's a goddess" Percy answers

"Who?" Bast asks

"Hestia, goddess of the hearth" Nico says.

**"The pair of cabins at the head of the field, numbers one and two, looked like his-and-hers mausoleums, big white marble boxes with heavy columns in front. Cabin one was the biggest and bulkiest of the twelve. Its polished bronze doors shimmered like a hologram, so that from different angles lightning bolts seemed to streak across them. Cabin two was more graceful somehow, with slimmer columns garlanded with pomegranates and flowers. The walls were carved with images of peacocks." **

"Hera" Annabeth says in disgust.

**" 'Zeus and Hera?' I guessed.**

**'Correct, ' Chiron said.**

**'Their cabins look empty.' " **

"Not anymore" Thalia grins

**"Several of the cabins are. That's true. No one ever stays in one or two. '**

**Okay. So each cabin had a different god, like a mascot. Twelve cabins for the twelve Olympians. But why would some be empty?**

**I stopped in front of the first cabin on the left, cabin three.**

**It wasn't high and mighty like cabin one, but long and low and solid. The outer walls were of rough gray stone studded with pieces of seashell and coral, as if the slabs had been hewn straight from the bottom of the ocean floor." **

"Sounds like Percy's type of cabin" Carter says.

**"I peeked inside the open doorway and Chiron said, 'Oh, I wouldn't do that!'**

**Before he could pull me back, I caught the salty scent of the interior, like the wind on the shore at Montauk. The interior walls glowed like abalone. There were six empty bunk beds with silk sheets turned down. But there was no sign anyone had ever slept there. The place felt so sad and lonely, I was glad when Chiron put his hand on my shoulder and said, 'Come along, Percy. '**

**Most of the other cabins were crowded with campers.**

**Number five was bright red-a real nasty paint job, as if the color had been splashed on with buckets and fists. The roof was lined with barbed wire. A stuffed wild boar's head hung over the doorway, and its eyes seemed to follow me." **

"Ares cabin" Percy says in disgust

**"Inside I could see a bunch of mean-looking kids, both girls and boys, arm wrestling and arguing with each other while rock music blared. The loudest was a girl maybe thirteen or ****fourteen. She wore a size XXXL CAMP HALF-BLOOD T-shirt under a camouflage jacket. She zeroed in on me and gave me an evil sneer. She reminded me of Nancy Bobofit, though the camper girl was much bigger and tougher looking, and her hair was long and stringy, and brown instead of red." **

"Clarisse La Rue. Our _favorite _Ares camper" The demigods say sarcastically.

**"I kept walking, trying to stay clear of Chiron's hooves. 'We haven't seen any other centaurs, ' I observed.**

**'No, ' said Chiron sadly. 'My kinsmen are a wild and barbaric folk, I'm afraid. You might encounter them in the wilderness, or at major sporting events. But you won't see any here. '**

**'You said your name was Chiron. Are you really ... '**

**He smiled down at me. 'The Chiron from the stories? Trainer of Hercules and all that? Yes, Percy, I am. '**

**'But, shouldn't you be dead?' " **

"You are such a Kelp Head, Barnacle Brain" Thalia says.

**"Chiron paused, as if the question intrigued him. "I honestly don't know about should be. The truth is, I can't be dead. You see, eons ago the gods granted my wish. I could continue the work I loved. I could be a teacher of heroes as long as humanity needed me. I gained much from that wish ... And I gave up much. But I'm still here, so I can only assume I'm still needed.'**

**I thought about being a teacher for three thousand years. It wouldn't have made my Top Ten Things to Wish For list.**

**'Doesn't it ever get boring?'**

**'No, no, ' he said. 'Horribly depressing, at times, but never boring.' " **

"Yeah, seeing your campers come and go, both in painful ways if possible" Thalia mutters.

**" 'Why depressing?'**

**Chiron seemed to turn hard of hearing again.**

**'Oh, look, ' he said. 'Annabeth is waiting for us.'**

**The blond girl I'd met at the Big House was reading a book in front of the last cabin on the left, number eleven.**

**When we reached her, she looked me over critically, like she was still thinking about how much I drooled." **

"Nope, just checking you out" Anubis smiles.

**"I tried to see what she was reading, but I couldn't make out the title. I thought my dyslexia was acting up. Then I realized the title wasn't even English. The letters looked Greek to me. I mean, literally Greek. There were pictures of temples and statues and different kinds of columns, like those in an architecture book." **

"It _is _an architecture book, Seaweed Brain"

**" 'Annabeth, ' Chiron said, 'I have masters' archery class at noon. Would you take Percy from here?'**

**'Yes, sir.'**

**'Cabin eleven, ' Chiron told me, gesturing toward the doorway. 'Make yourself at home.'**

**Out of all the cabins, eleven looked the most like a regular old summer camp cabin, with the emphasis on old. The threshold was worn down, the brown paint peeling. Over the doorway was one of those ****doctor's symbols, a winged pole with two snakes wrapped around it. What did they call it... ? A caduceus." **

"Wow! Percy figured something out all by himself! That's an improvement" Grover grins.

**"Inside, it was packed with people, both boys and girls, way more than the number of bunk beds. Sleeping bags were spread all over on the floor. It looked like a gym where the Red Cross had set up an evacuation center.**

**Chiron didn't go in. The door was too low for him. But when the campers saw him they all stood and bowed respectfully.**

**'Well, then, ' Chiron said. 'Good luck, Percy. I'll see you at dinner. '**

**He galloped away toward the archery range.**

**I stood in the doorway, looking at the kids. They weren't bowing anymore. They were staring at me, sizing me up. I knew this routine. I'd gone through it at enough schools.**

**'Well?' Annabeth prompted. 'Go on.' **

**So naturally I tripped coming in the door and made a total fool of myself." **

"That is the Percy I know and love" Nico smiles.

"You love me? I'm touched, Nico. I never thought you'd feel anything else but anger, sadness, rage, oh, and anger"

"What about embarrassment?" Thalia grins.

**"There were some snickers from the campers, but none of them said anything.**

**Annabeth announced, 'Percy Jackson, meet cabin eleven.'**

**'Regular or undetermined?' somebody asked.**

**I didn't know what to say, but Annabeth said, 'Undetermined. '**

**Everybody groaned.**

**A guy who was a little older than the rest came forward. 'Now, now, campers. That's what we're here for. Welcome, Percy. You can have that spot on the floor, right over there.' " **

"So, your bed is the floor?" I ask

"Temporarily" Percy shrugs.

**"The guy was about nineteen, and he looked pretty cool. He was tall and muscular, with short-cropped sandy hair and a friendly smile. He wore an orange tank top, cutoffs, sandals, and a leather necklace with five different-colored clay beads. The only thing unsettling about his appearance was a thick white scar that ran from just beneath his right eye to his jaw, like an old knife slash." **

The demigods and Grover fell silent.

**" 'This is Luke,' Annabeth said, and her voice sounded different somehow. I glanced over and could've sworn she was blushing." **

"You have a crush, eh, Annabeth?" Zia smiles.

**"She saw me looking, and her expression hardened again. 'He's your counselor for now.' " **

"No need to be harsh on your future boyfriend" Thalia smiles

**" 'For now?' I asked.**

**'You're undetermined,' Luke explained patiently. 'They don't know what cabin to put you in, so you're here. Cabin eleven takes all newcomers, all visitors. Naturally, we would. Hermes, our patron, is the god of travelers.'**

**I looked at the tiny section of floor they'd given me. I had nothing to put there to mark it as my own, no luggage, no clothes, no sleeping bag. Just the Minotaur's horn. I thought about setting that down, but then I remembered that Hermes was also the god of thieves." **

"Good thinking" Bast comments.

**"I looked around at the campers' faces, some sullen and suspicious, some grinning stupidly, some eyeing me as if they were waiting for a chance to pick my pockets." **

"They probably were" Anubis comments

**" 'How long will I be here?' I asked.**

**'Good question, ' Luke said. 'Until you're determined.'**

**'How long will that take?'**

**The campers all laughed.**

**'Come on,' Annabeth told me. 'I'll show you the volleyball court. '**

**'I've already seen it.' " **

"You are so slow" I say

**" 'Come on.' She grabbed my wrist and dragged me outside. I could hear the kids of cabin eleven laughing behind me.**

**When we were a few feet away, Annabeth said, 'Jackson, you have to do better than that. '**

**'What?'**

**She rolled her eyes and mumbled under her breath, 'I can't believe I thought you were the one.' " **

"Wow, Annabeth. You just met him a few minutes ago, now you're thinking that he's the one for you" Nico smiles

"No! What I- Ugh, forget it!" she says.

**" 'What's your problem?' I was getting angry now. 'All I know is, I kill some bull guy-'**

**'Don't talk like that!' Annabeth told me. 'You know how many kids at this camp wish they'd had your chance?'**

**'To get killed?' " **

"Yeah, Percy. Everybody want to have a chance to get killed" Grover says sarcastically

**" 'To fight the Minotaur! What do you think we train for?'**

** I shook my head. 'Look, if the thing I fought really was the Minotaur, the same one in the stories ... '**

**'Yes. '**

**'Then there's only one. '**

**'Yes. '**

**'And he died, like, a gajillion years ago, right? Theseus killed him in the labyrinth. So ... '**

**'Monsters don't die, Percy. They can be killed. But they don't die.' " **

"Whut?" I say

"You can kill them, but they do not die" Nico says, as if it was a basic thing.

"I still don't get it" Carter says

"You can kill it or destroy it _physically_. But it'll still return"

**" 'Oh, thanks. That clears it up.'**

**'They don't have souls, like you and me. You can dispel them for a while, maybe even for a whole lifetime if you're lucky. But they are primal forces. Chiron calls them arche-types. Eventually, they re- form. '**

**I thought about Mrs. Dodds. 'You mean if I killed one, accidentally, with a sword-'**

**'The Fur ... I mean, your math teacher. That's right. She's still out there. You just made her very, very mad. '**

**'How did you know about Mrs. Dodds?'**

**'You talk in your sleep.' " **

"Let's set up microphones in Percy's cabin!" Thalia exclaims

"Yeah! Maybe he'll talk about Annabeth" Nico grins. Annabeth chucks a beanbag at his face.

**" 'You almost called her something. A Fury? They're Hades' torturers, right?'" **

"You are very lucky to be alive, demigod" Bast says.

**"Annabeth glanced nervously at the ground, as if she expected it to open up and swallow her. 'You shouldn't call them by name, even here. We call them the Kindly Ones, if we have to speak of them at all.'**

**'Look, is there anything we can say without it thunder-ing?' I sounded whiny, even to myself, but right then I didn't care. 'Why do I have to stay in cabin eleven, anyway? Why is everybody so crowded together? There are plenty of empty bunks ****right over there.'**

**I pointed to the first few cabins, and Annabeth turned pale. 'You don't just choose a cabin, Percy. It depends on who your parents are. Or...Your parent. '**

**She stared at me, waiting for me to get it.**

**'My mom is Sally Jackson,' I said. 'She works at the candy store in Grand Central Station. At least, she used to.'**

**'I'm sorry about your mom, Percy. But that's not what I mean. I'm talking about your other parent. Your dad'**

**'He's dead. I never knew him.'**

**Annabeth sighed. Clearly, she'd had this conversation before with other kids. 'Your father's not dead, Percy.'**

**'How can you say that? You know him?'**

**'No, of course not.'**

**'Then how can you say-'**

**'Because I know you. You wouldn't be here if you weren't one of us.'**

**'You don't know anything about me.'**

**'No?' She raised an eyebrow. 'I bet you moved around from school to school. I bet you were kicked out of a lot of them. '**

**'How-'**

**'Diagnosed with dyslexia. Probably ADHD, too. '" **

"Woohoo! Go bad-ass Annabeth" Thalia cheers

**"I tried to swallow my embarrassment. 'What does that have to do with anything?' " **

"They are symptoms that you are a demigod, Percy" Grover says.

**"Taken together, it's almost a sure sign. The letters float off the page when you read, right? That's because your mind is hardwired for ancient Greek. And the ADHD-you're impulsive, can't sit still in the classroom. That's your battle-field reflexes. In a real fight, they'd keep you alive." **

"That is..." Carter trails off

"Awesome! I wish I had ADHD!" I smile

"Oh no, ADHD is bad. Even being a demigod is bad. ADHD is only good if you are in battle" Percy says.

**"As for the attention problems, that's because you see too much, Percy, not too little. Your senses are better than a regular mortal's. Of course the teachers want you medicated. Most of them are monsters. They don't want you seeing them for what they are.'**

**'You sound like ... You went through the same thing?'**

**'Most of the kids here did. If you weren't like us, you couldn't have survived the Minotaur, much less the ambrosia and nectar.'**

**'Ambrosia and nectar.'**

**'The food and drink we were giving you to make you better. That stuff would've killed a normal kid. It would've turned your blood to fire and your bones to sand and you'd be dead." **

"That was _so _positive" Nico mutters

** "Face it. You're a half- blood.' " **

"Yer' a half-blood, Percy" Nico does an impression of Hagrid in Harry Potter.

"Ha ha, Nico. Very original" I say

"At least this was told to you that way. I found out..." he trails off.

**"A half-blood.**

**I was reeling with so many questions I didn't know where to start.**

**Then a husky voice yelled, 'Well! A newbie!'**

**I looked over. The big girl from the ugly red cabin was sauntering toward us. She had three other girls behind her, all big and ugly and mean looking like her, all wearing camo jackets.**

**'Clarisse, ' Annabeth sighed. 'Why don't you go polish your spear or something?'**

**'Sure, Miss Princess,' the big girl said. 'So I can run you through with it Friday night. '**

**'Erre es korakas!' Annabeth said, which I somehow under-stood was Greek for 'Go to the crows!' though I had a feeling it was a worse curse than it sounded. 'You don't stand a chance.'**

**'We'll pulverize you,' Clarisse said, but her eye twitched. Perhaps she wasn't sure she could follow through on the threat. She turned toward me. 'Who's this little runt?'**

**'Percy Jackson,' Annabeth said, 'meet Clarisse, Daughter of Ares.'**

**I blinked. 'Like ... The war god?'**

**Clarisse sneered. 'You got a problem with that?'**

**'No,' I said, recovering my wits. 'It explains the bad smell.' " **

"Oooh. Burn"

**"Clarisse growled. 'We got an initiation ceremony for newbies, Prissy'**

**'Percy. '**

**'Whatever. Come on, I'll show you'**

**'Clarisse-' Annabeth tried to say.**

**'Stay out of it, wise girl. '**

**Annabeth looked pained, but she did stay out of it, and I didn't really want her help. I was the new kid. I had to earn my own rep.**

**I handed Annabeth my minotaur horn and got ready to fight, but before I knew it, Clarisse had me by the neck and was dragging me toward a cinder-block ****building that I knew immediately was the bathroom.**

**I was kicking and punching. I'd been in plenty of fights before, but this big girl Clarisse had hands like iron. She dragged me into the girls' bathroom. There was a line of toilets on one side and a line of shower stalls down the other. It smelled just like any public bathroom, and I was thinking-as much as I could think with Clarisse ripping my hair out-that if this place belonged to the gods, they should've been able to afford classier johns." **

"Why the Hades would you think of johns at that time?" Grover laughs.

"Uh, ADHD?" Percy answers. We laugh.

**"Clarisse's friends were all laughing, and I was trying to find the strength I'd used to fight the Minotaur, but it just wasn't there.**

**'Like he's 'Big Three' material, ' Clarisse said as she pushed me toward one of the toilets. 'Yeah, right. Minotaur probably fell over laughing, he was so stupid looking'**

**Her friends snickered.**

**Annabeth stood in the corner, watching through her fingers.**

**Clarisse bent me over on my knees and started pushing my head toward the toilet bowl. It reeked like rusted pipes and, well, like what goes into toilets. I strained to keep my head up. I was looking at the scummy water, thinking, I will not go into that. I won't.**

**Then something happened. I felt a tug in the pit of my stomach. I heard the plumbing rumble, the pipes shudder. Clarisse's grip on my hair loosened. Water shot out of the toilet, making an arc straight over my head, and the next thing I knew, I was sprawled on the bathroom tiles with Clarisse screaming behind me." **

"Behold, the mighty power of toilet water" Nico smiles. the room was filled with laughter.

**"I turned just as water blasted out of the toilet again, hitting Clarisse straight in the face so hard it pushed her down onto her butt. The water stayed on her like the spray from a fire hose, pushing her backward into a shower stall." **

"I now know that feeling" Nico mutters, "And it's not good"

**She struggled, gasping, and her friends started coming toward her. But then ****the other toilets exploded, too, and six more streams of toilet water blasted them back. The showers acted up, too, and together all the fixtures sprayed the camouflage girls right out of the bathroom, spinning them around like pieces of garbage being washed away.**

**As soon as they were out the door, I felt the tug in my gut lessen, and the water shut off as quickly as it had started.**

**The entire bathroom was flooded. Annabeth hadn't been spared. She was dripping wet, but she hadn't been pushed out the door. She was standing in exactly the same place, staring at me in shock." **

"Just be thankful I got hit by shower water" Annabeth mutters to Percy

**"I looked down and realized I was sitting in the only dry spot in the whole room. There was a circle of dry floor around me. I didn't have one drop of water on my clothes. Nothing.**

**I stood up, my legs shaky.**

**Annabeth said, 'How did you ... '**

**'I don't know. '**

**We walked to the door. Outside, Clarisse and her friends were sprawled in the mud, and a bunch of other campers had gathered around to gawk. Clarisse's hair was flattened across her face. Her camouflage jacket was sopping and she smelled like sewage. She gave me a look of absolute hatred. 'You are dead, new boy. You are totally dead.'**

**I probably should have let it go, ****but I said, 'You want to gargle with toilet water again, Clarisse? Close your mouth.' " **

"That was actually a witty remark. I'm proud of you" Thalia smile teasingly.

**"Her friends had to hold her back. They dragged her toward cabin five, while the other campers made way to avoid her flailing feet.**

**Annabeth stared at me. I couldn't tell whether she was just grossed out or angry at me for dousing her.**

**'What?' I demanded. 'What are you thinking?'**

**'I'm thinking,' she said, 'that I want you on my team for capture the flag.' " **

Anubis closes the book, "I'm done"

"Let's have lunch!" Annabeth says and stands up.

"I'll be in the showers if you need me" Nico says.

"You haven't taken a bath?" Carter says.

"Yeah, but with toilet water. I'm thinking of taking a bath again with shower water, if I may." Nico glares at Percy a bit, then goes up the stairs.

"So, who's cooking lunch?" I ask.


	7. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey look, another update!**

**For you guys to see the image of what they are going to be eating for lunch, search in google for "Paella".**

**Zia's POV **

"I'll cook lunch" Annabeth volunteers.

Thalia and Grover stare at her in shock. Nico's head pops up from the doorway.

"Did she just say what I think she just said?" Grover says.

"If you're thinking that she said she is going to cook lunch, then yes" Sadie says

Nico was the first one to break from their moment of shock, "Are you sure Annabeth? I mean, the gods have warned us not to burn the house down..." he says.

Annabeth shot him a glare with her stormy eyes.

"Come on, guys. Maybe she has improved over the years" Thalia grins sheepishly.

"Years? 2 months have passed!" Grover exclaims.

I stand up, "How about I'll make lunch" I suggest

"Oh, Zia, you don't have to- These guys are paranoids. I don't burn everything I cook" Annabeth says.

"Understatement" Nico coughs. Annabeth shot him a glare that reads_ " I heard you but I'll pretend that I never heard it"_

"Oh no, it's okay. Rest. You made breakfast, I'll make lunch" I say

"Don't tell me Sadie's going to make dinner" Carter mutters.

Annabeth ponders for a while, then shrugs, "You have a point there"

"Thank you" the three mouths to me.

"For the record, I didn't burn the pancakes" Annabeth says.

I chuckle and head towards the kitchen. The drawers were filled with cookbooks and the fridge will magically stock on the things I needed.

I look through some simple recipes and found one that doesn't take much time as the others.

I take out the raw chicken pieces, tomato sauce, rice (which was, surprisingly, semi-cooked, just right for the recipe), shrimps and other ingredients.

When I turn around, I almost dropped the ingredients. The needed utensils were already in the counter, ready to be used.

_"Your welcome" _the voice of Isis says.

I sigh through my nose and started cooking.

"Hey" Carter says behind me, "need any help?"

I turn to him, "Yes, you could start by peeling those shrimps there" I point at the shrimps on the counter.

He heads over it and starts to remove the shell.

"So..." he says, trying to start a conversation," how's your day?"

I laugh, "I think you would know, considering that you were next to me the whole time"

He blushes, " Oh, yeah. right".

"It's just, I'm new to this relationship thing and we, you know, haven't been talking that much" he says.

"We are talking now" I smile, pouring the tomato sauce over the _paella_, as the cooking utensil is called.

"You're right" he laughs, "I think I'm too stressed out with this Pharaoh thing. I mean, I'm still 15. A normal 15 year old isn't ruling a civilization. Heck, a normal 15 year old isn't supposed to have powers"

"But you are not normal" I say.

"I'm not sure if that was supposed to be a compliment" he says, peeling the potatoes.

"I mean that you are special. We are gifted with power. We should call ourselves lucky, I think. Other people wish they have this kind of power"

"Yeah, everybody wants to live a life full of danger. That's a happy note" he says, sarcastically.

Few minutes later, the scent of the Paella (which was the name of the dish also) filled the house. Nico goes down, his hair glistening with shower water, and looks at the food.

"Wow, I never thought I'd get a chance to eat that kind of food" he mutters.

"What kind of food do you normally eat?" Carter asks him.

"Happy meals" Nico answers.

"Aren't Happy meals fattening?"

"Your point?"

Carter gestures to Nico's small build, "Where did the fat go?" he asks Nico

Nico shrugs then pulls up his shirt, showing his muscled stomach (which I never would have imagined a guy that young would have). His abs weren't that defined, but you can see the ridges and the groves.

"I think it's the constant attacks of monsters at every hour, whether waking hours or not" Nico says and drops his hand from his shirt. He continues to dry his messy hair with a towel.

"Dude, you're ripped!" Carter exclaims. I mentally face-palm.

"Me? ripped? Ha! You should see the other campers back at camp. Hell, you should see Percy" Nico says.

"DI ANGELO! Come here this instant!" Thalia's voice rings from the living room. Nico smirked, not fazed by the ear-piercing threat of the archer.

"I think she found my surprise" he smiles.

"Gee, what made you say that?" I say sarcastically. He shrugs and walks towards the living room.

"I'll set the table, you go and tell the others that lunch's ready" I say to Carter. He nods and leaves.

When they arrive, Nico's clothes were singed and Thalia looked pissed. The others had mixed expressions: from surprised to hysterical to weirded out.

"What happened?" I ask.

"Death Breath over here pl- Ooh, is that lunch?" Thalia says and sits down

They all pile their plates with rice, shrimps, chicken and etc. Carter, Zia and Anubis began digging in. Bast was eating only the fish bits. Grover was eating an enchilada that he found in the fridge. He said he didn't eat meat and that the dish was covered in meat.

Percy, Annabeth, Nico and Thalia went to the fireplace, which was right in front of the kitchen, and threw some of their food in the fire. They threw in the biggest shrimp or the juiciest pice of chicken.

"For the gods" they say. The sky thundered and the demigods go back to their seats and continued eating.

I have to admit, for a girl who hasn't cooked that much, it was pretty good.

"Hey Thalia, catch" Percy says and throws a piece of shrimp towards Thalia, who was at the other end of the table.

Thalia opened her mouth but Nico caught it mid-air.

"Death Breath! That was for me!" Thalia says.

"All is fair in love and war" Nico smirks.

They began arguing over random things; seafood, disasters, weapons, quotes and...you catch my drift.

" Are they seriously arguing about those things?" Sadie says

"Well, it isn't Thalia and Nico if they won't argue over random things" Grover says.

After lunch, we return to the living room.

"So, that is what we are going to do all day? Read, eat, sleep, argue?" Anubis says.

"That sounds good to me" Nico shrugs, but Annabeth punches him in the shoulder.

"You are getting lazier, you know that?" Annabeth says.

"I think it's a son of Hades thing. You know. like Thalia and her temper" Percy smiles

"And you and your kelp head?" Thalia answers back.

"How about exercise?" Bast offers.

"Where?" Grover asks.

Suddenly, a flashing light appears. When the light subsided, it revealed a guy with outdoorsy good looks and sandy blonde hair. He had shades on and a blinding smile. He was wearing a tank top and pants. He had a quiver behind his back with yellow-feathered festooned arrows. His golden bow was slung pn hos shoulders.

"Apollo?" Thalia exclaims

The man turns to her, "Hey there, little half-sis! You're alive, I see. I guess Nico here hasn't hacked you to pieces" he grins

"Yet" Nico mutters.

The man ,Apollo, turns to us.

"Ah the Egyptians! Bast! Anubis! Long time no see!" Apollo smiles. Anubis nods back.

Bast sneers. "Yes, Apollo, long time no see. Still glowing, I observe"

"Well, I _am_ the god of the sun" he smiles.

"Isn't Ra god of the sun?" Sadie says. Oh Sadie

Apollo turns to her, "Well, that is still correct. Ra is the _Egyptian_ god of the sun and sometimes personifies the sun itself. He is also the king of the gods. But I am Phoebus Apollo, _Greek_, and Roman, god of the sun, poetry, truth and healing. I am also the awesomest god in the universe" he grins

Another light appears to reveal a girl about 14 yrs. old with auburn hair. She wore the same clothes with Thalia, without the punk vibe. Her silver eyes were like the moon. She had a quiver strapped to her back and her bow resembles a gazelle's horns.

"Please excuse my brother's ego. It tends to grow bigger than the usual size" she says.

Thalia stands up and bows, "Lady Artemis"

The demigods and Grover follow. The girl with auburn hair looks at Thalia, "Lieutenant. I will excuse you know for this...event. Jackson and the others, rise. No need for formalities now. I am not here to blast you to bits"

Apollo laughs and drapes his arm over the girl's shoulder.

"Isn't my lil' sister the best?" he smiles.

"Apollo, how many millenniums do I have to remind you. We. Are. Twins. We were born at the same time." she says

"I came out first"

The girl, who is Artemis, rolls her eyes. She spots Anubis, who was glaring at her, "Lord Anubis, what a _pleasant_ surprise" she says in disgust.

"I could say the same thing, _Lady_" Anubis replies.

Her eyes land on Bast. and she nods, "Lady Bast, a pleasure to meet you again"

Bast nods at her, "Lady Artemis. Your presence is unexpected."

She smiles, "Yes, I have been told. I am not here in an errand, I am only here to keep my brother in check as he help you with your exercise"

"Hey! I am fully capable of training these teenagers without destroying things" Apollo says.

"Whatever makes your chariot fly, brother" Artemis mumbles.

"Excuse me, Lady Artemis, but why are you and Apollo here?" Annabeth asks.

Thank the gods! I thought the Greeks were in on this. They were just as confused as we were.

"Well, since you guys don't want to turn into couch potatoes, I decided to take the liberty of making you guys train physically! Not with your powers" Apollo says

" I don't have any powers" mumbles Annabeth.

Apollo waves his hand at the door and it opens. Outside was a pathway towards a huge gate. The lawn was freshly-trimmed and green. Apollo motioned us to step outside.

When we stepped outside, Apollo snaps his fingers.

A bunch of training dummies appear; shielded and armored with weapons. A climbing wall grew next to it. Targets were everywhere, probably for archery. There were a bunch of other things for training, even dumbells.

Did that climbing wall just spew lava?

Artemis steps forward and waves her hands. Swords, mace, staffs, wands and other possible weapons appear on a table.

Percy steps forward and pocks up a blue plastic hairbrush. She shows it to the others and Annabeth and Nico snickers

"Lady Artemis, may I ask why this here?" Percy says, stiffling a laugh.

Artemis brow furrowed, "That is humorous. How can a blue plastic hairbrush be a weapon?"

Nico, Percy and Annabeth were in full-blown laughter now. Thalia and Grover looked weirdly at the three.

"I think it's an inside joke" Carter says. Percy nods

"Now, you may begin your training. Remember, you still have to read the books after this" Artemis says.

"Ugh, do they have to?" Apollo complains

"Yes brother, they do. It's not like you are the one reading"

"But-"

Artemis shooks her head. Apollo silenced.

I picked up a staff and went to the training dummies. I saw Percy and Thalia race over to the climibing wall. Nico picked up his sword and strutted over to the dummies. Annabeth picked up a bow and arrow and headed to the targets. Carter takes out his khopesh and began attacking the dummies. Sadie got a staff and began training.

:**linebreak:**

"Ugh, my arms hurt" Carter complains

"At least your clothes weren't on fire" Nico mutters

"I said I'm sorry, okay!" Sadie says

"You guys go and wash up. You're all covered in sweat and dust. I'll have a little chat with our Greek frinds here" Anubis motions to the twins.

After washing, we head back to the living room. Anubis was already sitting there, avoiding Bast as usual. Apollo was there, waving as we enter. Artemis was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is Artemis?" Thalia asks

"She had to leave for Huntress duties." Anubis answers.

"I'm staying, though." Apollo grins cheekily, "I think I'll spend some quality time with my family"

"Family?" I ask.

Apollo nods, "Thalia is my half-sis since she is also a child of Zeus. Percy and Nico are my cousins since our fathers are brothers. Annabeth kinda like my niece since Athena is my half-sister, who is also her mom. Grover is like a brother to me, I mean, he is the Lord of the Wild"

We stood there, wide-eyed. I never imagine being related to the gods...

But then, they are demigods, not full-blooded gods.

"Let us now read the story. My curiousity is acting up" Nico says

"You acts like curiousity is bad" Annabeth pouts.

"It is if you aren't a child of Athena"

"Burn" Apollo says. Ironic how the god of the sun said _Burn_.

"Okay, I'll read" Bast offers, and takes the book.

**"MY DINNER GOES ****UP IN SMOKE**

**Word of the bathroom incident spread immediately. Wherever I went, campers pointed at me and murmured something about toilet water. Or maybe they were just staring at Annabeth, who was still pretty much dripping wet."**

"No Percy, they were staring at the magical unicorn floating above you head" Apollo says sarcastically

**"She showed me a few more places: the metal shop (where kids were forging ****their own swords),"**

"Cool!" Carter says.

**"the arts- and-crafts room (where satyrs were sandblasting a giant marble statue of a goat-man), and the climbing wall, which actually consisted of two facing walls that shook violently, dropped boulders, sprayed lava, and clashed together if you didn't get to the top fast enough."**

"Like the one in the yard?" I ask. They nod.

**Finally we returned to the canoeing lake, where the trail led back to the cabins.**

**"I've got training to do, " Annabeth said flatly. "Dinner's at seven-thirty. Just follow your cabin to the mess hall. "**

**"Annabeth, I'm sorry about the toilets. "**

**"Whatever. "**

"You're so harsh, Annie" Thalia says.

"I am not Annie" Annabeth replies sharply.

**"It wasn't my fault. "**

**She looked at me skeptically, and I realized it was my fault. I'd made water shoot out of the bathroom fixtures. I didn't understand how. But the toilets had responded to me. I had become one with the plumbing.**

"Every guys dream is to be one with the plumbing" Carter says sarcastically.

**"You need to talk to the Oracle, " Annabeth said.**

**"Who?"**

**"Not who. What. The Oracle. I'll ask Chiron. "**

"Hey, that is insulting!" Apollo exclaims.

Annabeth shrugs, "Sorry, Apollo, but the Oracle at that time was looking more like a _what_ than a _who_**"**

**I stared into the lake, wishing somebody would give me a straight answer for once.**

**I wasn't expecting anybody to be looking back at me from the bottom, so my heart skipped a beat when I noticed two teenage girls sitting cross-legged at the base of the pier, about twenty feet below. They wore blue jeans and shim-mering green T-shirts, and their brown hair floated loose around their shoulders as minnows darted ****in and out. They smiled and waved as if I were a long-lost friend."**

"That is amazing" Sadie says

**I didn't know what else to do. I waved back.**

**"Don't encourage them, " Annabeth warned. "Naiads are terrible flirts. "**

"Jealousy, eh, Annabeth? You are already feeling it" Anubis teases.

**"Naiads, " I repeated, feeling completely overwhelmed. "That's it. I want to go home now. "**

**Annabeth frowned. "Don't you get it, Percy? You are home. This is the only safe place on earth for kids like us. "**

**"You mean, mentally disturbed kids?"**

**"I mean not human. Not totally human, anyway. Half-human. "**

**"Half-human and half-what?"**

**"I think you know. "**

**I didn't want to admit it, but I was afraid I did. I felt a tingling in my limbs, a sensation I sometimes felt when my mom talked about my dad.**

**"God, " I said. "Half-god. "**

**Annabeth nodded. "Your father isn't dead, Percy. He's one of the Olympians. "**

**"That's ... Crazy. "**

"Always the first reaction after the news breaks out to them" Apollo says

**"Is it? What's the most common thing gods did in the old stories? They ran around falling in love with humans and having kids with them. Do you think they've changed their habits in the last few millennia?"**

"Guilty" Bast glares at Apollo, who, being the mature god he is, stuck out his tongue to the cat goddess.

**"But those are just-" I almost said myths again. Then I remembered Chiron's warning that in two thousand years, I might be considered a myth. "But if all the kids ****here are half-gods-"**

**"Demigods, " Annabeth said. "That's the official term. Or half-bloods. "**

**"Then who's your dad?"**

"Well that is sexist" Anubis replies

**Her hands tightened around the pier railing. I got the feeling I'd just trespassed on a sensitive subject.**

"Yes you did" Annabeth says to Percy, who gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm glad Aphrodite isn't here. She would've squeled our ears out" Apollo mutters.

"Aphrodite? As in goddess of love?" Sadie asks. Anubis nods.

**"My dad is a professor at West Point, " she said. "I haven't seen him since I was very small. He teaches American history. "**

**"He's human. "**

**"What? You assume it has to be a male god who finds a human female attractive? How sexist is that?"**

"I know right!" Anubis exclaims

**"Who's your mom, then?"**

**"Cabin six. "**

**"Meaning?"**

**Annabeth straightened. "Athena. Goddess of wisdom and battle. "**

**Okay, I thought. Why not?**

**"And my dad?"**

**"Undetermined, " Annabeth said, "like I told you before. Nobody knows. "**

**"Except my mother. She knew. "**

**"Maybe not, Percy. Gods don't always reveal their identities. "**

"Uncle P might have. He loved Sally to much" Apollo says.

**"My dad would have. He loved her. "**

"Ah! I think like Percy!" Apollo exclaims

**Annabeth gave me a cautious look. She didn't want to burst my bubble. "Maybe you're right. Maybe he'll send a sign. That's the only way to know for sure: your father has to send you a sign claiming you as his son. Sometimes it happens.**

**"You mean sometimes it doesn't?"**

**Annabeth ran her palm along the rail. "The gods are busy. They have a lot of kids and they don't always ... Well, sometimes they don't care about us, Percy. They ignore us. "**

Apollo was silent

**I thought about some of the kids I'd seen in the Hermes cabin, teenagers who looked sullen and depressed, as if they were waiting for a call that would never come. I'd known kids like that at Yancy Academy, shuffled off to boarding school by ****rich parents who didn't have the time to deal with them. But gods should behave better.**

**"So I'm stuck here, " I said. "That's it? For the rest of my life?"**

**"It depends, " Annabeth said. "Some campers only stay the summer. If you're a child of Aphrodite or Demeter, you're probably not a real powerful force. The monsters might ignore you, so you can get by with a few months of summer training and live in the mortal world the rest of the year. But for some of us, it's too dangerous to leave. We're year-rounders. In the mortal world, we attract monsters. They sense us. They come to challenge us. Most of the time, they'll ignore us until we're old enough to cause trouble-about ten or eleven years old, but after that, most demigods either make their way here, or they ****get killed off. **

"That's harsh" Carter says.

" It's like your mortal parent signed you up for a dangerous life before you were even born"

**A few manage to survive in the outside world and become famous. Believe me, if I told you the names, you'd know them. Some don't even realize they're demigods. But very, very few are like that. "**

**"So monsters can't get in here?"**

**Annabeth shook her head. "Not unless they're intentionally stocked in the woods or specially summoned by somebody on the inside. "**

**"Why would anybody want to summon a monster?"**

**"Practice fights. Practical jokes. "**

**"Practical jokes?"**

"Remember when the Stolls sent a huge spider at the Athena cabin?" Percy says

"Yeah, the whole cabin was both furious and terrified. Nobody dared to go near it" Nico laughs

"Thankfully, Percy arrived just in time. That was pretty scary" Annabeth says and gave Percy a peck on the lips.

**"The point is, the borders are sealed to keep mortals and monsters out. From the outside, mortals look into the valley and see nothing unusual, just a strawberry farm. "**

**"So ... You're a year-rounder?"**

**Annabeth nodded. From under the collar of her T-shirt she pulled a leather necklace with five clay beads of different colors. It was just like Luke's, except Annabeth's also had a big gold ring strung on it, like a college ring.**

**"I've been here since I was seven, " she said. "Every August, on the last day of summer session, you get a bead for surviving another year. I've been here longer than most of the counselors, and they're all in college. "**

**"Why did you come so young?"**

**She twisted the ring on her necklace. "None of your business. "**

**"Oh. " I stood there for a minute in uncomfortable silence. "So ... I could just walk out of here right now if I wanted to?"**

**"It would be suicide, but you could, with Mr. D's or Chiron's permission. But they wouldn't give permission until the end of the summer ****session unless ... "**

**"Unless?"**

**"You were granted a quest. But that hardly ever happens. The last time ... "**

**Her voice trailed off. I could tell from her tone that the last time hadn't gone well.**

**"Back in the sick room, " I said, "when you were feeding me that stuff-"**

**"Ambrosia. "**

**"Yeah. You asked me something about the summer solstice. "**

**Annabeth's shoulders tensed. "So you do know something?"**

**"Well... No. Back at my old school, I overheard Grover and Chiron talking about it. Grover mentioned the summer solstice. He said something like we didn't have much time, because of the deadline. What did that mean?"**

**She clenched her fists. "I wish I knew. Chiron and the satyrs, they know, but they won't tell me. Something is wrong in Olympus, something pretty major. Last time I was there, everything seemed so normal. "**

"You've been to Olympus?" I ask

**"You've been to Olympus?"**

"Never mind. Forget I aked" I say

**"Some of us year-rounders-Luke and Clarisse and I and a few others-we took a field trip during winter solstice. That's when the gods have their big annual council. "**

**"But... How did you get there?"**

**"The Long Island Railroad, of course. You get off at Penn Station. Empire State Building, special elevator to the six hundredth floor. " She looked at me like she was ****sure I must know this already. "You are a New Yorker, right?"**

**"Oh, sure. " As far as I knew, there were only a hundred and two floors in the Empire State Building, but I decided not to point that out.**

"Never correct a child of Athena unless you are a 1000000% sure" Nico says

"How about 999999.99%?" Sadie asks

"They'll use the .01% against you**" **

**"Right after we visited, " Annabeth continued, "the weather got weird, as if the gods had started fighting. A couple of times since, I've overheard satyrs talking. The best I can figure out is that something important was stolen. And if it isn't returned by summer solstice, there's going to be trouble. When you came, I was hoping ... I mean- Athena can get along with just about anybody, **

"Wrong" Apollo says

**except for Ares. And of course she's got the rivalry with Poseidon. **

"So, your godly parents are rivals..." Sadie says

"Yes?" Annabeth says

"...so the meet-and-greet between your parents must've been hard"

Percy and Annabeth thought for a moment then burts into laughter.

"You know, if my mother has never met you before, she would've blasted you into owl feathers" Annabeth says to Percy, who visibly paled.

"Then thank the gods that I had already met Athena" he says

"Your welcome" Apollo and Anubis grins.

**But, I mean, aside from that, I thought we could work together. I thought you might know something. "**

**I shook my head. I wished I could help her, but I felt too hungry and tired and mentally overloaded to ask any more questions.**

**"I've got to get a quest, " Annabeth muttered to her-self. "I'm not too young. If**

**they would just tell me the problem ... "**

**I could smell barbecue smoke coming from somewhere nearby. Annabeth must've heard my stomach growl. She told me to go on, she'd catch me later. I left her on the pier, tracing her finger across the rail as if drawing a battle plan.**

"Let me guess, for the Capture-the-flag?" Thalia asks Annabeth. She nods

**Back at cabin eleven, everybody was talking and horsing around, waiting for dinner. For the first time, I noticed that a lot of the campers had similar features: sharp noses, upturned eyebrows, mischievous smiles. They were the kind of kids that teachers would peg as troublemakers**

"Ah, the Hermes bunch. They are my favorite group of kids, next to my children, of course" Apollo says.

**Thankfully, nobody paid much attention to me as I walked over to my spot on the floor and plopped down with my minotaur horn.**

**The counselor, Luke, came over. He had the Hermes family resemblance, too. It was marred by that scar on his right cheek, but his smile was intact.**

**"Found you a sleeping bag, " he said. "And here, I stole you some toiletries from the camp store. "**

"He stole it?" Sadie exclaims

"He _is_ the son of the god of thieves"

**I couldn't tell if he was kidding about the stealing part.**

**I said, "Thanks. "**

**"No prob. " Luke sat next to me, pushed his back against the wall. "Tough first day?"**

**"I don't belong here, " I said. "I don't even believe in gods. " **

"Percy! I am offended!" Bast gasps. Fakingly of course.

"He has a major talent of offending gods" Annabeth says

**"Yeah, " he said. "That's how we all started. Once you start believing in them? It doesn't get any easier. " **

"More monsters go after you. Emphasis on _more_" Nico says

**The bitterness in his voice surprised me, because Luke seemed like a pretty ****easygoing guy. He looked like he could handle just about anything.**

**"So your dad is Hermes?" I asked.**

**He pulled a switchblade out of his back pocket, and for a second I thought he was going to gut** **me, **

"He wouldn't dare" Thalia sneers

**but he just scraped the mud off the sole of his sandal. "Yeah. Hermes. " **

"Phew"

**"The wing-footed messenger guy. "**

**"That's him. Messengers. Medicine. Travelers, mer-chants, thieves. Anybody who uses the roads. That's why you're here, enjoying cabin eleven's hospitality. Hermes isn't picky about who he sponsors. "**

**I figured Luke didn't mean to call me a nobody. He just had a lot on his mind.**

**"You ever meet your dad?" I asked.**

**"Once. " **

Thalia and Annabeth's gaze goes to the floor

**I waited, thinking that if he wanted to tell me, he'd tell me. Apparently, he didn't. I wondered if the story had any-thing to do with how he got his scar.**

**Luke looked up and managed a smile. "Don't worry about it, Percy. The campers here, they're mostly good people. After all, we're extended family, right? We take care of each other. " **

"That is such a happy note. Every time a new demigods goes arrives, you'll be thinking: Oh, will this guy be my brother, cousin, nephew or uncle?" Thalia says

**He seemed to understand how lost I felt, and I was grateful for that, because an older guy like him-even if he was a counselor-should've steered clear of an uncool middle-schooler like me. But Luke had welcomed me into the cabin. He'd even stolen me some toiletries, which was the nicest thing anybody had done for me all day. **

"Then your day must've sucked" Nico says

**I decided to ask him my last big question, the one that had been bothering me all afternoon. "Clarisse, from Ares, was joking about me being 'Big Three' material. ****Then Annabeth ... Twice, she said I might be 'the one. ' She said I should talk to the Oracle. What was that all about?"**

**Luke folded his knife. "I hate prophecies. " **

"Who doesn't!" the demigods say in unison.

**"What do you mean?"**

**His face twitched around the scar. "Let's just say I messed things up for everybody else. The last two years, ever since my trip to the Garden of the Hesperides went sour, Chiron hasn't allowed any more quests. Annabeth's been dying to get out into the world. She pestered Chiron so much he finally told her he already knew her fate. He'd had a prophecy from the Oracle. He wouldn't tell her the whole thing, but he said Annabeth wasn't destined to go on a quest yet. She had to wait until... Somebody special came to the camp. "**

**"Somebody special?" **

"So, she only thought of you as her ticket to the mortal world? That's just sad" Nico says.

"Yeah, Annabeth. Show some love to your boyfriend" Thalia teases

**"Don't worry about it, kid, " Luke said. "Annabeth wants to think every new camper who comes through here is the omen she's been waiting for. Now, come on, it's dinnertime. " **

"Nope, still lunchtime" Sadie says

**The moment he said it, a horn blew in the distance. Somehow, I knew it was a conch shell, even though I'd never heard one before. **

"Son of Poseidon thing" Percy says

**Luke yelled, "Eleven, fall in!"**

**The whole cabin, about twenty of us, filed into the commons yard. We lined up in order of seniority, so of course I was dead last. Campers came from the other ****cabins, too, except for the three empty cabins at the end, and cabin eight, which had looked normal in the daytime, but was now starting to glow silver as the sun went down. **

"Artemis' cabin" Thalia smirks

**We marched up the hill to the mess hall pavilion. Satyrs joined us from the ****meadow. Naiads emerged from the canoeing lake. A few other girls came out of the woods- and when I say out of the woods, I mean straight out of the woods. I saw one girl, about nine or ten years old, melt from the side of a maple tree and come skipping up the hill. **

"Nymphs?" Carter asks

"Yep" Grover answers

**In all, there were maybe a hundred campers, a few dozen satyrs, and a dozen assorted wood nymphs and naiads.**

**At the pavilion, torches blazed around the marble columns. A central fire burned in a bronze brazier the size of a bathtub. Each cabin had its own table, covered in white cloth trimmed in purple. Four of the tables were empty, but cabin eleven's was way overcrowded. I had to squeeze on to the edge of a bench with half my butt hanging off. **

"Too much information, Perce" Carter laughs as the others join in in the laughter.

**I saw Grover sitting at table twelve with Mr. D, a few satyrs, and a couple of plump blond boys who looked just like Mr. D. Chiron stood to one side, the picnic table being way too small for a centaur.**

**Annabeth sat at table six with a bunch of serious-looking athletic kids, all with her gray eyes and honey- blond hair. **

Annabeth smiles at the description of her siblings.

**Clarisse sat behind me at Ares's table. She'd apparently gotten over being hosed down, because she was laughing and belching right alongside her friends.**

**Finally, Chiron pounded his hoof against the marble floor of the pavilion, and everybody fell silent. He raised a glass. "To the gods!"**

**Everybody else raised their glasses. "To the gods!"**

**Wood nymphs came forward with platters of food: grapes, apples, strawberries, cheese, fresh bread, and yes, barbecue! My glass was empty, but Luke said, "Speak to it. Whatever you want-nonalcoholic, of course. "**

**I said, "Cherry Coke. "**

**The glass filled with sparkling caramel liquid.**

**Then I had an idea. "Blue Cherry Coke. "**

**The soda turned a violent shade of cobalt.**

**I took a cautious sip. Perfect.**

**I drank a toast to my mother.**

**She's not gone, I told myself. Not permanently, anyway. She's in the Underworld. And if that's a real place, then someday... **

"You are obviously crazy. I mean, who wants to go to the Underworld?" I ask

Nico, Percy, Apollo and Anubis raises their hands. I raise an eyebrow at them

"I practically live there" Nico says

"I work there, duh" Anubis answers.

"Can't a guy just visit his uncle?" Apollo says

"I just want to tick the godliness out of Hades and the others" Percy smiles.

**"Here you go, Percy, " Luke said, handing me a platter of smoked brisket.**

**I loaded my plate and was about to take a big bite when I noticed everybody getting up, carrying their plates toward the fire in the center of the pavilion. I ****wondered if they were going for dessert or something. **

"Your mind is absolutely crazy, even during eating. I wonder what your thoughts would be during quests and further on." Thalia says

**"Come on, " Luke told me.**

**As I got closer, I saw that everyone was taking a portion of their meal and dropping it into the fire, the ripest strawberry, the juiciest slice of beef, the warmest, most buttery roll.**

**Luke murmured in my ear, "Burnt offerings for the gods. They like the smell. "**

**"You're kidding. " **

"No he is not" Grover says

**His look warned me not to take this lightly, but I couldn't help wondering why an immortal, all-powerful being would like the smell of burning food. **

"Because it's awesome?" Apollo says

**Luke approached the fire, bowed his head, and tossed in a cluster of fat red ****grapes. "Hermes. "**

**I was next.**

**I wished I knew what god's name to say.**

**Finally, I made a silent plea. Whoever you are, tell me. Please.**

**I scraped a big slice of brisket into the flames. **

"You should've offered it to me. I love the smell of meat" Apollo says.

"Lord Apollo" Thalia says

"Yes, my dear?"

"Shut up"

**When I caught a whiff of the smoke, I didn't gag.**

**It smelled nothing like burning food. It smelled of hot chocolate and fresh-baked brownies, hamburgers on the grill and wildflowers, and a hundred other good things that shouldn't have gone well together, but did. I could almost believe the gods could live off that smoke. **

"Tried to once. Didn't end up pretty" Guess who said that.

"And to think, we have to host people just to make them believe in us while they have to force it upon their children" Bast mumbles.

**When everybody had returned to their seats and finished eating their meals, Chiron pounded his hoof again for our attention.**

**Mr. D got up with a huge sigh. "Yes, I suppose I'd better say hello to all you brats. Well, hello. Our activities director, Chiron, says the next capture the flag is Friday. Cabin five presently holds the laurels. "**

**A bunch of ugly cheering rose from the Ares table.**

**"Personally, " Mr. D continued, "I couldn't care less, but congratulations. Also, I should tell you that we have a new camper today. Peter Johnson. " **

Everybody laughs, including Percy.

**Chiron murmured something.**

**"Er, Percy Jackson, " Mr. D corrected. "That's right. Hurrah, and all that. Now run along to your silly campfire. Go on. "**

**Everybody cheered. We all headed down toward the amphitheater, where Apollo's cabin led a sing- along. **

Apollo grins at the mention of his children

**We sang camp songs about the gods and ate s'mores and joked around, and the funny thing was, I didn't feel that anyone was staring at me anymore. I felt that I was home. **

"Camp does that to you, Kelp Head" Thalia says

"Pinecone face"

"Barnacle brain"

"Sparky"

"Would you two shut up?" Nico says

"Clam it, Corpse-face" they both say.

**Later in the evening, when the sparks from the campfire were curling into a starry sky, the conch horn blew again, and we all filed back to our cabins. I didn't realize how exhausted I was until I collapsed on my borrowed sleeping bag.**

**My fingers curled around the Minotaur's horn. I thought about my mom, but I had good thoughts: her smile, the bedtime stories she would read me when I was a kid, the way she would tell me not to let the bedbugs bite. **

"Sometimes, you're too childish" Annabeth says to Percy. He just grins

**When I closed my eyes, I fell asleep instantly.**

**That was my first day at Camp Half-Blood.**

**I wish I'd known how briefly I would get to enjoy my new home. **

"You have such _positive _thoughts for a 12-yr-old" Anubis says sarcastically.

"Who'll read next?" Bast says, holding up the book

"I will" Grover says.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: And, it's an update.**

**Reason for delayed update: School is near! Everybody run for your lives!**

* * *

**Anubis' POV**

**"WE CAPTURE ****A FLAG" **Grover reads

"Yes, I'll relive those days..." Percy mutters

**"The next few days I settled into a routine that felt almost normal, if you don't count the fact that I was getting lessons from satyrs, nymphs, and a centaur." **

"Even if you didn't cross them out, it's still not normal" Nico says to Percy

**"Each morning I took Ancient Greek from Annabeth, and we talked about the gods and goddesses in the present tense, which was kind of weird."**

"Ouch, Percy. I am affected" Apollo dramatically place his hand on his heart

**"I discovered Annabeth was right about my dyslexia: Ancient Greek wasn't that hard for me to read. At least, no harder than English. After a couple of mornings, I could stumble through a few lines of Homer without too much headache.**

**The rest of the day, I'd rotate through outdoor activities, looking for something I was good at. Chiron tried to teach me archery, but we found out pretty ****quick I wasn't any good with a bow and arrow." **

"Do you want me to teach you?" Apollo says

"Nah, I'm good. I prefer a sword, if you won't mind" Percy says

**"He didn't complain, even when he had to desnag a stray arrow out of his tail." **

"Was Chiron in front of you?" Sadie asks

"Nope, he was right next to me" Percy grins

"How?" Carter raises an eyebrow

"When I pulled on the bowstring, it snapped and the arrow went flying. It bounced of numerous shields and helmets. It was flying around and ended up in Chiron's tail" Percy grins

"Twice, if I may add" Annabeth says.

**Foot racing? No good either. The wood-nymph instructors left me in the dust. They told me not to worry about it. They'd had centuries of practice running away from lovesick gods.**

"Are you guilty of this?" I ask Apollo

"Yes, I remember one girl, Daphne..." he says

"The girl who turned into a laurel?" Thalia asks. Apollo nods.

**But still, it was a little humiliating to be slower than a tree.**

"I never thought of it that way..." Grover says

"But I'm faster now!" Percy says

"But I'm still quicker" Thalia grins

"I can't see how this is connected"

Thalia rolls her eyes

**And wrestling? Forget it. Every time I got on the mat, Clarisse would pulverize me.**

**"There's more where that came from, punk, " she'd mumble in my ear.**

**The only thing I really excelled at was canoeing, and that wasn't the kind of heroic skill people expected to see from the kid who had beaten the Minotaur." **

"DO A FLIP!" Nico says

**I knew the senior campers and counselors were watching me, trying to ****decide who my dad was, but they weren't having an easy time of it. I wasn't as strong as the Ares kids, **

"You are now" Sadie smiles

** or as good at archery as the Apollo kids**

"You can never be as awesome as my kids" Apollo says

"Last I checked, almost all of your daughters have a crush on Percy" Nico says.

Annabeth holds Percy tightly.

"Mine" she glares (jokingly) at us. We laugh at her antics.

** I didn't have Hephaestus's skill with metalwork or-gods forbid- Dionysus's way with vine plants." **

"I can't still believe I'm related to him" Thalia mutters

"You think you have it bad? Try living with him for centuries" Apollo says.

** Luke told me I might be a child of Hermes, a kind of jack-of-all-trades, master of none. But I got the feeling he was just trying to make me feel better. He really didn't know what to make of me either.**

**Despite all that, I liked camp. **

"Who doesn't?" Percy says

**I got used to the morning fog over the beach, the smell of hot strawberry fields in the afternoon, even the weird noises of monsters in the woods at night. I would eat dinner with cabin eleven, scrape part of my meal into the fire, and try to feel some connection to my real dad. Nothing came. Just that warm feeling I'd always had, like the memory of his smile. I tried not to think too much about my mom, but I kept wondering: if gods and monsters were real, if all this magical stuff was possible, surely there was some way to save her, to bring her back... **

"You are seriously thinking about going to the Underworld?" I ask him. Percy nods

"Good, just checking" I mutter.

**I started to understand Luke's bitterness and how he seemed to resent his ****father, Hermes. So okay, maybe gods had important things to do. But couldn't they call once in a while, or thunder, or something? Dionysus could make Diet Coke appear out of thin air. Why couldn't my dad, who-ever he was, make a phone appear?**

**Thursday afternoon, three days after I'd arrived at Camp Half-Blood, I had my first sword-fighting lesson. Everybody from cabin eleven gathered in the big circular arena, ****where Luke would be our instructor.**

**We started with basic stabbing and slashing, using some straw-stuffed dummies in Greek armor. I guess I did okay. At least, I understood what I was supposed to do and my reflexes were good. **

"You called those reflexes 'good'?" Annabeth says.

**The problem was, I couldn't find a blade that felt right in my hands. Either they were too heavy, or too light, or too long. Luke tried his best to fix me up, but ****he agreed that none of the practice blades seemed to work for me.**

**We moved on to dueling in pairs. Luke announced he would be my partner, since this was my first time.**

**"Good luck," one of the campers told me. "Luke's the best swordsman in the last three hundred years. " **

"Not any more" Thalia and Nico say.

**"Maybe he'll go easy on me," I said.**

**The camper snorted.**

**Luke showed me thrusts and parries and shield blocks the hard way. With every swipe, I got a little more battered and bruised. "Keep your guard up, Percy," he'd say, then whap me in the ribs with the flat of his blade. "No, not that far up!" Whap! "Lunge!" Whap! "Now, back!" Whap! **

"Amazing sound effects" Zia jokes

"Yeah. _Whap, lunge, strike, scream, bleed, die!" _Nico says

"Nico?"

"Yeah, Annabeth?"

"Shut up"

"Yes, ma'am"

**By the time he called a break, I was soaked in sweat. Everybody swarmed the drinks cooler. Luke poured ice water on his head, which looked like such a good idea, I did the same.**

**Instantly, I felt better. Strength surged back into my arms. The sword didn't feel so awkward. **

"Behold the power of ice water!" Thalia says

**"Okay, everybody circle up!" Luke ordered. "If Percy doesn't mind, I want to give you a little demo. "**

**Great, I thought. Let's all watch Percy get pounded. **

"I love that show!" Nico laughs

"Top ratings in a month" Thalia adds

"Although the star is kinda bad at acting" Grover laughs

"I am not bad at acting!" Percy says

"Whatever makes you sleep, cuz." Thalia says

**The Hermes guys gathered around. They were suppressing smiles. I figured they'd been in my shoes before and couldn't wait to see how Luke used me for a punching bag. He told everybody he was going to demonstrate a disarming technique: how to twist the enemy's blade with the flat of your own sword so that he had no choice but to drop his weapon.**

**"This is difficult, " he stressed. "I've had it used against me. No laughing at Percy, now. Most swordsmen have to work years to master this technique. " **

"Learned it in a day!" Percy says

**He demonstrated the move on me in slow motion. Sure enough, the sword clattered out of my hand.**

**"Now in real time, " he said, after I'd retrieved my weapon. "We keep sparring until one of us pulls it off. Ready, Percy?"**

**I nodded, and Luke came after me. Somehow, I kept him from getting a shot at the hilt of my sword. My senses opened up. I saw his attacks coming. I countered. I stepped forward and tried a thrust of my own. Luke deflected it easily, but I saw a change in his face. His eyes narrowed, and he started to press me with more force. **

"I see he has found an opponent" Bast says

**The sword grew heavy in my hand. The balance wasn't right. I knew it was only a matter of seconds before Luke took me down, so I figured, What the heck?**

**I tried the disarming maneuver.**

**My blade hit the base of Luke's and I twisted, putting my whole weight into a downward thrust.**

**Clang. **

"One point for the awesome sound effect" Sadie says.

**Luke's sword rattled against the stones. The tip of my blade was an inch from his undefended chest.**

**The other campers were silent.**

**I lowered my sword. "Um, sorry. " **

"He won and he says he's sorry?" Carter asks

"That's just Percy being...well, Percy"

**For a moment, Luke was too stunned to speak.**

**"Sorry?" His scarred face broke into a grin. "By the gods, Percy, ****why are you sorry? Show me that again!"**

**I didn't want to. The short burst of manic energy had completely abandoned me. But Luke insisted.**

**This time, there was no contest. The moment our swords connected, Luke hit my hilt and sent my weapon skidding across the floor.**

**After a long pause, somebody in the audience said, "Beginner's luck?" **

"Well, let's thank Tyche for it" I say

"Tyche?" Sadie asks me

"Greek goddess of luck" I answer

"Haven't heard from her in a while" Apollo mutters.

**Luke wiped the sweat off his brow. He appraised at me with an entirely new interest. "Maybe, " he said. "But I wonder what Percy could do with a balanced sword..." **

"He'd be a walking nightmare" Nico says

"Are you sure you aren't talking about yourself, Death Breath?" Thalia asks

"I only look like it"

**Friday afternoon, I was sitting with Grover at the lake, resting from a near-death experience on the climbing wall. Grover had scampered to the top like a mountain goat, **

"I'm practically a goat, Percy" Grover says

** but the lava had almost gotten me. My shirt had smoking holes in it. ****The hairs had been singed off my forearms.**

**We sat on the pier, watching the naiads do underwater basket-weaving, until I got up the nerve to ask Grover how his conversation had gone with Mr. D.**

**His face turned a sickly shade of yellow. **

"Why not green? Why sickly yellow?" Carter asks

"'Cause green is too mainstream" Thalia smirks

**"Fine, " he said. "Just great. "**

**"So your career's still on track?"**

**He glanced at me nervously. "Chiron t-told you I want a searcher's license?"**

**"Well... No. " I had no idea what a searcher's license was, but it didn't seem like the right time to ask. "He just said you had big plans, you know ... And that you needed credit for completing a keeper's assignment. So did you get it?"**

**Grover looked down at the naiads. "Mr. D suspended judgment. He said I hadn't failed or succeeded with you yet, so our fates were still tied together. If you got a quest and I went along to protect you, and we both came back alive, then maybe he'd consider the job complete. "**

**My spirits lifted. "Well, that's not so bad, right?"**

**"Blaa-ha-ha! He might as well have transferred me to stable-cleaning duty. **

"Do you really want to have stable-cleaning duty?" Percy asks.

"No way, man!" Grover exclaims

**The chances of you getting a quest... And even if you did, why would you want me along?"**

**"Of course I'd want you along!"**

**Grover stared glumly into the water. "Basket-weaving ... Must be nice to have a useful skill. " **

"How is basket-weaving useful?" Sadie asks

"I don't know" Carter says, "Maybe..."

He stands up and frolicked around the room like a young maiden, his arm bent as if a basket is at the crook of his arm

"Lalalalala, oh look! A poisonous berry that I can use to kill my enemy! I should pick it!" he says in a falsetto voice

"But, oh no" he places the back of his hand to his forehead, as if he was about to faint, "I don't have a basket. Oh, I know! I could weave one! Then I could kill that horrible bitch and my life would be complete. I would go and follow the rainbow, eating a bunch of chocolates until I get fat and explode!"

We laugh at his little role play

"There you have it folks. Carter Kane, Pharaoh of Per Ankh, my boyfriend" Zia says

"I can't believe I'm related to him" Sadie mutters

"I feel the same way, sister" Carter replies in his normal voice, sitting back on his bean bag.

**I tried to reassure him that he had lots of talents, but that just made him look ****more miserable. We talked about canoeing and swordplay for a while, then debated the pros and cons of the different gods. **

"Really, what was your pro and con about me?" Apollo asks

"I think I like to end the book early. You can ask us later" Percy smiles

**Finally, I asked him about the four empty cabins.**

**"Number eight, the silver one, belongs to Artemis, " he said. "She vowed to be a maiden forever. So of course, no kids. The cabin is, you know, honorary. If she didn't have one, she'd be mad. " **

"And that is where we would be staying if we visit camp" Thalia says

**"Yeah, okay. But the other three, the ones at the end. Are those the Big Three?" **

"I wish" Nico mutters

**Grover tensed. We were getting close to a touchy subject. "No. One of them, number two, is Hera's, " he said. "That's another honorary thing. She's the goddess of marriage, so of course she wouldn't go ****around having affairs with mortals. That's her husband's job. **

Everybody laughs at Grover's answer

"I love the answer!" Sadie laughs

"I can't believe how true that statement was" Apollo says

" How would you guys think Zeus would react if he learned about this?" Annabeth says

"He wouldn't do anything 'cause it's true" Percy says

**When we say the Big Three, we mean the three powerful brothers, the sons of Kronos. "**

**"Zeus, Poseidon, Hades. " **

"Our fathers" Percy, Thalia and Nico say in unison

**"Right. You know. After the great battle with the Titans, they took over the world from their dad and drew lots to decide who got what. "**

**"Zeus got the sky," I remembered. "Poseidon the sea, Hades the Underworld. "**

**"Uh-huh."**

**"But Hades doesn't have a cabin here. " **

"What made you say that, Perce?" Nico says sarcastically

**"No. He doesn't have a throne on Olympus, either. He sort of does his own thing down in the Underworld. **

"Does his own thing?" Bast says

"I have never went to the Underworld at that time!" Grover raises his hands in surrender.

** If he did have a cabin here ... " Grover shuddered. "Well, it wouldn't be pleasant. Let's leave it at that. " **

"Oh really, Grover?" Nico raised an eyebrow at him

**"But Zeus and Poseidon-they both had, like, a bazillion kids in the myths. Why are their cabins empty?"**

**Grover shifted his hooves uncomfortably. "About sixty years ago, after World War II, the Big Three agreed they wouldn't sire any more heroes. Their children were just too powerful. **

"I totally agree" Annabeth says

"Will the same rules apply if any Egyptian gods have children with mortals?" Carter asks

"I think so, yeah" Apollo nods

**They were affecting the course of human events too much, causing too much carnage. World War II, you know, that was basically a fight between the sons of Zeus and Poseidon on one side, and the sons of Hades on the other. **

"So, if Thalia and I..." Percy says

"...were to have a fight against Nico,..." Thalia continues

"...we can cause another World War?" Nico says. The 3 look at each other and grinned mischievously.

"That was creepy" Sadie says

"Says the girl who's dating the god of the dead" Carter says

**The winning side, Zeus and Poseidon, made Hades swear an oath with them: no more ****affairs with mortal women. They all swore on the River Styx. "**

**Thunder boomed.**

**I said, "That's the most serious oath you can make. "**

**Grover nodded.**

**"And the brothers kept their word-no kids?" **

"What do you think we are, Percy? Chopped liver?" Thalia says

**Grover's face darkened. "Seventeen years ago, Zeus fell off the** **wagon. **

"If every time a god/goddess has a demigod child is called 'falling off the wagon', I wonder how deformed you are, Apollo" I laugh

"Even how many times I'll fall of the wagon, I'm still handsome as ever!"

** There was this TV starlet with a big fluffy eighties hairdo-he just couldn't help himself. When their child was born, a little girl named Thalia **

"I'm little?" Thalia raised an eyebrow as her cousin chuckle

"You were little!"

** ... Well, the River Styx is serious about promises. Zeus himself got off easy because he's immortal, but he brought a terrible fate on his daughter. "**

**"But that isn't fair. It wasn't the little girl's fault. " **

"Don't you dare comment, Jackson. Or else I'll singe your hair off"

**Grover hesitated. "Percy, children of the Big Three have powers greater than other half-bloods. They have a strong aura, a scent that attracts monsters. **

"And even after how many times I take a bath, it still won't remove" Nico says

"You take a bath?" Thalia asks

** When Hades found out about the girl, he wasn't too happy about Zeus breaking his oath. Hades let the worst monsters out of Tartarus to torment Thalia.**

"So I have to thank my dear uncle Hades for my death" Thalia mutters.

** A satyr was assigned to be her keeper when she was twelve, but there was nothing he could do. He tried to escort her here with a couple of other half-bloods she'd befriended. They almost made it. They got all the way to the top of that hill. "**

**He pointed across the valley, to the pine tree where I'd fought the minotaur.**

**"All three Kindly Ones were after them, along with a horde of hellhounds. They were about to be overrun when Thalia told her satyr to take the other two half-bloods to safety while she held off the monsters. She was wounded and tired, and she didn't want to live like a hunted animal. The satyr didn't want to leave her, but he couldn't change her mind, and he had to protect the others. So Thalia made her final stand alone, at the top of that hill. As she died, Zeus took pity on her. He turned her into that pine tree. Her spirit still helps protect the borders of the valley. That's why the hill is called Half-Blood Hill. " **

"Oh, so that's why..." Carter says

"Yep, I was a tree. Can you imagine not moving for how many years? It's torture!" Thalia tries to joke. Laughs were filling in the room.

**I stared at the pine in the distance.**

**The story made me feel hollow, and guilty too. A girl my age had sacrificed herself to save her friends. She had faced a whole army of monsters. Next to that, my victory over the Minotaur didn't seem like much. I wondered, if I'd acted differently, could I have saved my mother? **

"Whoa man, that was deep" Nico comments

**"Grover," I said, "have heroes really gone on quests to the Underworld?"**

**"Sometimes," he said. "Orpheus. Hercules. Houdini. " **

**"And have they ever returned somebody from the dead?"**

**"No. Never. Orpheus came close...Percy, you're not seriously thinking-"**

**"No," I lied. **

"Never lie to your best friend, Percy" Annabeth tsk-ed

** "I was just wondering. So ... A satyr is always assigned to guard a demigod?"**

**Grover studied me warily. I hadn't persuaded him that I'd really dropped the Underworld idea. "Not always. We go undercover to a lot of schools. We try to sniff out the half-bloods who have the makings of great heroes. If we find one with a very strong aura, like a child of the Big Three, we alert Chiron. He tries to keep an eye on them, since they could cause really huge problems. " **

"Emphasis on _huge_"

"I don't cause that huge problems"

"Do you want Grover to reread the beginning of the story?"

**"And you found me. Chiron said you thought I might be something special. " **

"Your ego is inflating, Percy" Grover says

**Grover looked as if I'd just led him into a trap. "I didn't... Oh, listen, don't think like that. If you were-you know-you'd never ever be allowed a quest, and I'd never get my license. You're probably a child of Hermes. Or maybe even one of the minor gods, like Nemesis, the god of revenge. Don't worry, okay?" **

"Nemesis is a goddess"

"I was nervous!"

**I got the idea he was reassuring himself more than me.**

**That night after dinner, there was a lot more excitement than usual.**

**At last, it was time for capture the flag. **

"My first one was very memorable..." Nico mutters

"Yeah, the Oracle had a little stroll in the woods" Percy says

**When the plates were cleared away, the conch horn sounded and we all stood at our tables.**

**Campers yelled and cheered as Annabeth and two of her siblings ran into the ****pavilion carrying a silk banner. It was about ten feet long, glistening gray, with a painting of a barn owl above an olive tree. From the opposite side of the pavilion, Clarisse and her buddies ran in with another banner, of identical size, but gaudy red, painted with a bloody spear and a boar's head.**

**I turned to Luke and yelled over the noise, "Those are the flags?"**

**"Yeah. "**

**"Ares and Athena always lead the teams?"  
**

"You wish" Apollo says

**"Not always, " he said. "But often. "**

**"So, if another cabin captures one, what do you do- repaint the flag?"  
**

"If we would, then the flags would be as ugly as Tartarus" Annabeth says

"Aren't the children of Athena talented in the fields of arts?" Thalia asks

"Not everybody. Plus, if we would be painting the flags, we won't have enough time to train and to strategize" Annabeth smirks

"Clever"

**He grinned. "You'll see. First we have to get one. "**

**"Whose side are we on?"  
**

"On the nymphs' side" Nico answers sarcastically

**He gave me a sly look, as if he knew something I didn't. The scar on his face made him look almost evil in the torchlight. "We've made a temporary alliance with Athena. Tonight, we get the flag from Ares. And you are going to help. "  
**

"Temporary truce?" Sadie asks

"Everybody in camp has at least 5 enemies from other cabins" Percy explains

"And he has more than 20 enemies!" Nico grins, "not counting the gods he has pissed off"

**The teams were announced. Athena had made an alliance with Apollo and Hermes, the two biggest cabins. **

"And because my children are born winners" Apollo grins

"I wonder how many sperms gods carry, 'cause the number of demigods are unbelievable" Carter laughs

"Funny Carter" I say

"GODS! Don't give me mental images!" Nico cover his face

**Apparently, privileges had been traded-shower times, chore schedules, the best slots for activities-in order to win support.**

**Ares had allied themselves with everybody else: Dionysus, Demeter, Aphrodite, and Hephaestus. From what I'd seen, Dionysus's kids were actually good athletes, but there were only two of them. **

"Castor and Pollux" Percy mutters

**Demeter's kids had the edge with nature skills and outdoor stuff but they weren't very aggressive. **

"Thank the gods they weren't" Thalia says

"I think Katie is an exemption. Did you guys see what she did to the Stolls?' Percy grins

"Who's Katie and the Stolls?" I ask

"Katie is the head counselor of the Demeter cabin while the Stolls are the Hermes cabin's counselors" Percy says

"The Stolls, especially the older one, Travis, keeps on pranking the Demeter cabin, especially Katie" Nico continues

"I think he's crushing on her" Annabeth says

**Aphrodite's sons and daughters I wasn't too worried about. They mostly sat out every activity and checked their reflections in the lake and did their hair and gossiped. Hephaestus's kids weren't pretty, and there were only four of them, but they were big and burly ****from working in the metal shop all day. They might be a problem. That, of course, left Ares's cabin: a dozen of the biggest, ugliest, meanest kids on Long Island, or anywhere else on the planet.  
**

"You'll get beaten up to a pulp when they hear this" Annabeth says

"I think they'll take this as a compliment" Percy smiles and wraps his arms around her.

**Chiron hammered his hoof on the marble.**

**"Heroes!" he announced. "You know the rules. The creek is the boundary line. The entire forest is fair game. All magic items are allowed. The banner must be prominently displayed, and have no more than two guards. Prisoners may be disarmed, **

"Yehey!" Thalia smiles

**but may not be bound or gagged. **

"Aw..." Thalia pouts

**No killing or maiming is allowed. **

"Double 'aw'" Nico says, shining his sword with the hem of his jacket.

**I will serve as referee and battlefield medic. Arm yourselves!"**

**He spread his hands, and the tables were suddenly covered with equipment: helmets, bronze swords, spears, oxhide shields coated in metal.**

**"Whoa, " I said. "We're really supposed to use these?"  
**

"Would you prefer gong in to a 'battlefield' unarmed, Percy?" Apollo says

**Luke looked at me as if I were crazy. "Unless you want to get skewered by your friends in cabin five. Here-Chiron thought these would fit. You'll be on border patrol. "  
**

"I still haven't forgive you for it, though" Percy says to Annabeth

She leans in and closes the gap between their lips. Carter, Sadie and Grover gags while Thalia and Nico fake-vomits. Bast rolls her eyes, "You kittens are so immature" she says

"They are still kids, Bast" Apollo says. I laugh

"I'm at least 22!" Thalia says

"I'm 15!" Zia and Carter exclaims

"Im 13 years old. I'm practically a teenager" Sadie exclaims

"A satyr, here!" Grover says

Nico remained quiet.

"What? Nothing to react?" Apollo asks. HE shakes his head. Grover continues reading while Percy and Annabeth make out.

**My shield was the size of an NBA backboard, with a big caduceus in the middle. It weighed about a million pounds. I could have snowboarded on it fine, **

"Snowboarding this winter?" Nico asks

"You're on" Thalia says

"I'll bring the shields" Grover says

**but I hoped nobody seriously expected me to run ****fast. My helmet, like all the helmets on Athena's side, had a blue horsehair plume on top. Ares and their allies had red plumes.**

**Annabeth yelled, "Blue team, forward!"**

**We cheered and shook our swords and followed her down the path to the south woods. The red team yelled taunts at us as they headed off toward the north.**

**I managed to catch up with Annabeth without tripping over my equipment.**

**"Hey. "**

**She kept marching.  
**

"Oh, cold shoulder" Sadie says

**"So what's the plan?" I asked.**

**"Got any magic items you can loan me?"**

**Her hand drifted toward her pocket, as if she were afraid I'd stolen something.  
**

"She thought he was a child of Hermes?" Nico says

"It's possible"

**"Just watch Clarisse's spear, " she said. "You don't want that thing touching you. Otherwise, don't worry. We'll take the banner from Ares. Has Luke given you your job?"**

**"Border patrol, whatever that means. "**

**"It's easy. Stand by the creek, keep the reds away. Leave the rest to me. Athena always has a plan. "  
**

"That is her motto" Grover says

**She pushed ahead, leaving me in the dust.**

**"Okay, " I mumbled. "Glad you wanted me on your team. "  
**

"Pure sarcasm"

**It was a warm, sticky night. The woods were dark, with fireflies popping in and out of view. Annabeth stationed me next to a little creek that gurgled over some rocks, then she and the rest of the team scattered into the trees.**

**Standing there alone, with my big blue-feathered helmet and my huge shield, I felt like an idiot. The bronze sword, like all the swords I'd tried so far, seemed balanced wrong. The leather grip pulled on my hand like a bowling ball.**

**There was no way anybody would actually attack me, would they? I mean, Olympus had to have liability issues, right?  
**

"Do you?" Zia asks Apollo

"If it did, then I wasn't noted" Apollo says

**Far away, the conch horn blew. I heard whoops and yells in the woods, the clanking of metal, kids fighting. A blue-plumed ally from Apollo raced past me like a deer, leaped through the creek, and disappeared into enemy territory.  
**

"Woohoo! Go blue team!" Apollo cheers

**Great, I thought. I'll miss all the fun, as usual.**

**Then I heard a sound that sent a chill up my spine, a low canine growl, somewhere close by.**

**I raised my shield instinctively; I had the feeling something was stalking me.**

**Then the growling stopped. I felt the presence retreating.**

**On the other side of the creek, the underbrush exploded. Five Ares warriors came yelling and screaming out of the dark.**

**"Cream the punk!" Clarisse screamed.  
**

"That's her quote for every newbie"

**Her ugly pig eyes glared through the slits of her helmet. She brandished a five-foot-long spear, its barbed metal tip flickering with red light. Her siblings had only the standard-issue bronze swords-not that that made me feel any better.**

**They charged across the stream. There was no help in sight. I could run. Or I could defend myself against half the Ares cabin.  
**

"There are more than 10 campers from the Ares cabin, Percy" Thalia says

Percy didn't reply, he was too busy making out with Annabeth

**I managed to sidestep the first kid's swing, but these guys were not as stupid the Minotaur. **

"That's debatable" Nico says

**They surrounded me, and Clarisse thrust at me with her spear. My shield deflected the point, but I felt a painful tingling all over my body. My hair stood on end. My shield arm went numb, and the air burned.  
**

"That's the same feeling I have whenever Thalia electrocutes me" Nico says

**Electricity. Her stupid spear was electric. I fell back.**

**Another Ares guy slammed me in the chest with the butt of his sword and I hit the dirt.**

**They could've kicked me into jelly, but they were too busy laughing.**

**"Give him a haircut, " Clarisse said. "Grab his hair. "  
**

"Imagine Percy with shorter hair" Nico says

We thought about it. He looks weird. Long hair suites him.

**I managed to get to my feet. I raised my sword, but Clarisse slammed it aside with her spear as sparks flew. Now both my arms felt numb.  
**

"If Uncle P were here, he'd have a heart attack" Apollo says

**"Oh, wow, " Clarisse said. "I'm scared of this guy. Really scared. "  
**

"Funny how she should be"

**"The flag is that way, " I told her. I wanted to sound angry, but I was afraid it didn't come out that way.**

**"Yeah, " one of her siblings said. "But see, we don't care about the flag. We care about a guy who made our cabin look stupid. "**

**"You do that without my help, " I told them. **

"Burn!" Carter says

**It probably wasn't the smartest thing to say.  
**

"No shit, Sherlock"

**Two of them came at me. I backed up toward the creek, tried to raise my shield, but Clarisse was too fast. Her spear stuck me straight in the ribs. If I hadn't been wearing an armored breastplate, I would've been shish-ke-babbed. As it was, the electric point just about shocked my teeth out of my mouth. One of her cabinmates slashed his sword across my arm, leaving a good-size cut.  
**

"Ouch" I say

**Seeing my own blood made me dizzy-warm and cold at the same time.  
**

"I know the feeling" Zia says

**"No maiming, " I managed to say.**

**"Oops, " the guy said. "Guess I lost my dessert privilege."  
**

"You have got to be kidding me. No maiming equals no desserts?" Sadie says

"The ice cream is to die for" Nico says

**He pushed me into the creek and I landed with a splash. They all laughed. I figured as soon as they were through being amused, I would die. But then something happened. The water seemed to wake up my senses, as if I'd just had a bag of my mom's double-espresso jelly beans.  
**

"I love this kid! He really knows how to describe things" Apollo says

Percy, who had finished making out with Annabeth, shrugs, "It's a talent"

**Clarisse and her cabinmates came into the creek to get me, but I stood to meet them. I knew what to do. I swung the flat of my sword against the first guy's head and knocked his helmet clean off. I hit him so hard I could see his eyes vibrating as he crumpled into the water.**

**Ugly Number Two and Ugly Number Three came at me.  
**

**I slammed one in the face with my shield and used my sword to shear off the other guy's horsehair plume. Both of them backed up quick. Ugly Number Four didn't look really anxious to attack, but Clarisse kept coming, the point of her spear crackling with energy. As soon as she thrust, I caught the shaft between the edge of my shield and my sword, and I snapped it like a twig.  
**

"And that is the start of Percy's weapon-breaking job!" Nico says

**"Ah!" she screamed. "You idiot! You corpse-breath worm!"  
**

"Are you sure she was talking to you, Percy? I'm pretty sure that's Nico" Thalia says

"Hey!" Nico says

"Yeah, I think she was talking to me. But she hasn't met Nico yet" Percy says

**She probably would've said worse, but I smacked her between the eyes with my sword-butt and sent her stumbling backward out of the creek.**

**Then I heard yelling, elated screams, and I saw Luke racing toward the boundary line with the red team's banner lifted high. He was flanked by a couple of Hermes guys covering his retreat, and a few Apollos behind them, fighting off the Hephaestus kids. The Ares folks got up, and Clarisse muttered a dazed curse.**

**"A trick!" she shouted. "It was a trick. "**

**They staggered after Luke, but it was too late. Everybody converged on the creek as Luke ran across into friendly territory. Our side exploded into cheers. The red banner shimmered and turned to silver. The boar and spear were replaced with a huge caduceus, the symbol of cabin eleven.  
**

"Oh, so that is how it changes"

**Everybody on the blue team picked up Luke and started carrying him around on their shoulders. Chiron cantered out from the woods and blew the conch horn.**

**The game was over. We'd won.**

**I was about to join the celebration when Annabeth's voice, right next to me in the creek, said, "Not bad, hero. "**

**I looked, but she wasn't there.  
**

"Annabeth is a ghost!" Thalia exclaims jokingly

**"Where the heck did you learn to fight like that?" she asked. The air shimmered, and she materialized, holding a Yankees baseball cap as if she'd just taken it off her head.  
**

Annabeth takes out the said cap and twirled it around her finger

**I felt myself getting angry. I wasn't even fazed by the fact that she'd just been invisible. "You set me up, " I said. "You put me here because you knew Clarisse would come after me, while you sent Luke around the flank. You had it all figured out. "  
**

"She's a child of Athena, what do you expect?" Carter says

**Annabeth shrugged. "I told you. Athena always, always has a plan. "**

**"A plan to get me pulverized. "  
**

"I like that plan" Thalia says

**"I came as fast as I could. I was about to jump in, but ... " She shrugged. "You didn't need help. "**

**Then she noticed my wounded arm. "How did you do that?"**

**"Sword cut, " I said. "What do you think?"**

**"No. It was a sword cut. Look at it. "**

**The blood was gone. Where the huge cut had been, there was a long white scratch, and even that was fading. As I watched, it turned into a small scar, and disappeared.**

**"I-I don't get it, " I said.  
**

"Not the first time" Grover says

**Annabeth was thinking hard. I could almost see the gears turning. **

"You're crazy" Sadie says

"Nope, just imaginative"

**She looked down at my feet, then at Clarisse's broken spear, and said, "Step out of the water, Percy. "**

**"What-"**

**"Just do it. "**

**I came out of the creek and immediately felt bones tired. My arms started to go numb again. My adrenaline rush left me. I almost fell over, but Annabeth steadied me.  
**

"Catch me, I'm falling..." Thalia sings, earning her a bath

"Don't worry, Thals. That came from the sink"

**"Oh, Styx, " she cursed. "This is not good. I didn't want ... I assumed it would be Zeus... . "  
**

"Cause Zeus has water powers!" Nico says sarcastically

"Yeah, Annabeth. You just saw that he was stronger in water, and yet you didn't think it was Poseidon" Apollo says

"Well, Thalia is here. I thought Zeus might do it again" She says

**Before I could ask what she meant, I heard that canine growl again, but much closer than before. A howl ripped through the forest.**

**The campers' cheering died instantly. Chiron shouted something in Ancient Greek, which I would realize, only later, I had understood perfectly: "Stand ready! My bow!"**

**Annabeth drew her sword.**

**There on the rocks just above us was a black hound the size of a rhino, with lava-red eyes and fangs like daggers.  
**

"A hellhound"

**It was looking straight at me.  
**

"Never a good sign" Zia says

**Nobody moved except Annabeth, who yelled, "Percy, run!"**

**She tried to step in front of me, but the hound was too fast. It leaped over her-an enormous shadow with teeth-and just as it hit me, as I stumbled backward and felt its razor-sharp claws ripping through my armor, there was a cascade of thwacking sounds, like forty pieces of paper being ripped one after the other. From ****the hounds neck sprouted a cluster of arrows. The monster fell dead at my feet.  
**

"I wonder why it didn't turn to dust immediately" Thalia says

**By some miracle, I was still alive. **

"Surprise, surprise"

**I didn't want to look underneath the ruins of my shredded armor. My chest felt warm and wet, and I knew I was badly cut. Another second, and the monster would've turned me into a hundred pounds of delicatessen meat.**

**Chiron trotted up next to us, a bow in his hand, his face grim.**

**"Di immortales!" Annabeth said. "That's a hellhound from the Fields of Punishment. They don't ... They're not supposed to ... "**

**"Someone summoned it, " Chiron said. "Someone inside the camp. "**

**Luke came over, the banner in his hand forgotten, his moment of glory gone.**

**Clarisse yelled, "It's all Percy's fault! Percy summoned it!"  
**

"I felt so loved at that time" Percy says

**"Be quiet, child, " Chiron told her.**

**We watched the body of the hellhound melt into shadow, soaking into the ground until it disappeared.**

**"You're wounded, " Annabeth told me. "Quick, Percy, get in the water. "**

**"I'm okay. "  
**

"Yeah, your chest is bleeding and the wounds looked deep. You _are_ okay" Annabeth says sarcastically

**"No, you're not, " she said. "Chiron, watch this. "**

**I was too tired to argue. I stepped back into the creek, the whole camp gathering around me.**

**Instantly, I felt better. I could feel the cuts on my chest closing up. Some of the campers gasped.  
**

"Yeah, the dude is healing. Everybody gasp" Sadie says

**"Look, I-I don't know why, " I said, trying to apologize. "I'm sorry... "  
**

"You're sorry? You have got to be kidding" I say

**But they weren't watching my wounds heal. They were staring at something above my head.**

**"Percy, " Annabeth said, pointing. "Um ... "**

**By the time I looked up, the sign was already fading, but I could still make out the hologram of green light, spinning and gleaming. A three-tipped spear: a trident.  
**

"Poseidon's symbol of power" Bast says

**"Your father," Annabeth murmured. "This is really not good. "**

**"It is determined, " Chiron announced.**

**All around me, campers started kneeling, even the Ares cabin, though they didn't look happy about it.**

**"My father?" I asked, completely bewildered.  
**

"No, your chihuahua" Nico says

**"Poseidon, " said Chiron. "Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God. "  
**

"All hail!" Thalia and Nico says. Percy rolls his eyes at his cousins.

"Chiron should be a god of theatrics" Annabeth laughs, "He over-acts whenever a demigod gets claimed"

"I like it. I love how he tells everybody our accomplishments" Apollo laughs.

"So, who'll rea-" Grover was cut of when another bright light filled the room

When the light subsided, it revealed a woman wearing a dress that keeps on shifting. Her eye color and hair color was the same, always changing. She looked like Sadie.

It's Aphrodite. What the hell?

The next one was Amos, with his usual suit and gem-braided hair. He looked bewildered, but he went over to hug the Kanes and Zia.

"Aphrodite!" Apollo laughs and stands up, opening his arms for a hug. The woman walks up and slaps him.

"Your son dumped black paint on my daughter!" she says.

The demigods stood up and bowed. Aphrodite saw this and grins.

"Percabeth!" she says and hugs Percy and Annabeth. She kisses the both of them on the cheek.

"I see things are well. Has Percy popped the question already?" Aphrodite say to the couple, who blushed furiously.

"Um, I-I, I-" Percy stutters.

Aphrodite waves her hand in dismissal, "Ah, not yet, I see. Oh well, boo hoo. Just dont forget to invite me! Although I'm still tampering with your love lives though" she laughs.

She turns to Thalia, "Still single, I see?"

Thalia grins, "I'm a Hunter, Aphrodite. I'm supposed to be single"

"Sad" Aphrodite pouts, then smiles at Nico

"How about you, son of Hades? Do you wa-"

"I'm good!" Nico says quickly.

Aphrodite turns to Grover, "How's Juniper, Grover?"

Grover blushes, "She's fine, probably worried why I suddenly disappeared, though"

Aphrodite smiles then turns to us, "Bast!"

"Hello Aphro" Bast replies, "still making men fall over you like dead rats"

"Why, some mortal men are so gullible, I can't resist! And can you at least change into a different outfit? Leopard tights does look good, but it doesn't quite fit in with the fashion now"

Bast rolls her eyes. Aphrodite turns to me "Anubis, still catching and breaking the hearts of many with that appearance. Are you sure you're not my son? You have the heart-breaking part to a T" she says to me

"I'm not your son! What do you mean 'catching hearts'? What's wrong with this body?" I ask

"Puh-lease. You are practically making girls fall with the 'bad boy' look and the brown eyes" she says, "Sadie here is one of them"

I blush, and so does Sadie.

"How do yo know me?" Sadie asks

"Oh Sadie. I'm Aphrodite, goddess of love. Your love life is amusing." she says.

"My sister's love life isn't so-" Carter says

"Ah yes, Carter! I love how loyal you are to your heart, after how many times it was shattered. I wish my daughters could break the heart of a guy like you! Too bad you're already taken by Zia, but I don't mind. I could still pull a few strings here and there" Aphrodite says.

Zia scoffs, "What?"

The magicians stare at her in wide-eyed. Amos chuckles.

Aphrodite turns to the demigods, "What part are you in now?"

"The time when I was claimed" Percy says

"Oh joy! I'm joining you!" she says and snaps her fingers. A throne decorated with feathers and flowers appeared and Aphrodite sits down gracefully.

"Who are you children?" Amos asks

We (Carter, Sadie and Zia) tell him about them and why we are here. We then filled him with the information.

"Oh, okay" he says, "so, I take the war went well?" he asks Percy

"We're alive, aren't we?" Percy laughs.

"Can we get on with the story now?" Nico says

"Of course, Nico. I'll read" Aphrodite says and takes the book from Grover.

"Oh, before I forget" She snaps her fingers and Apollo ends up in dress. A pink sleeveless on with a frilly skirt that ends up at the knee. Pink ballet shoes appeared on his feet. His face was caked in make-up and his hair had green highlights.

"Aphrodite!" he exclaims.

"My eyes!" Thalia exclaims, "my poor, innocent eyes!" she covers her eyes with her palms

"I'm scarred for life!" Nico shouts and buried himself on the beanies.

"Too horrid!" Carter screams

"Cannot unsee!" Sadie shouts.

"By the gods, why?" Zia covers her face.

Amon coughs, "Would you kindly give him clothes that are appropriate for show, please, Lady Aphrodite"

"Yes, please" I say

"Of course, darlings." she smiles and snaps her fingers. Apollo was back in his old clothes.

She opens her book and starts reading

* * *

**A/N: Ta-duh! The next chapter.**

**Are you guys okay with Aphrodite and Amos arriving? and do you guys think I should continue the story?  
**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Sorry for the late update. I already had this typed out, but when I was about to save it, the power went out.**

**When the power went back again, all my hardwork (which took me 2 hours) was gone :(**

* * *

**Percy's POV**

**"I AM OFFERED ****A QUEST" **Aphrodite reads

"Ah, the memories" Grover says

**The next morning, Chiron moved me to cabin three.**

**I didn't have to share with anybody. I had plenty of room for all my stuff: the Minotaur's horn, one set of spare clothes, and a toiletry bag. I got to sit at my own dinner table, pick all my own activities, call "lights out" whenever I felt like it, and not listen to anybody else. **

"I like the 'not listen to anybody' part" Sadie says

"Of course you do" Carter mutters

**And I was absolutely miserable. **

"At least you don't have an annoying older brother" Sadie says, trying to cheer me up

"Hey!" Carter exclaims

"Yeah, but I have a Cyclops as a younger brother" I say

**Just when I'd started to feel accepted, to feel I had a home in cabin eleven and I might be a normal kid- or as normal as you can be when you're a half-blood-I'd been separated out as if I had some rare disease. **

"That is how your luck works Percy" Thalia comments

**Nobody mentioned the hellhound, but I got the feeling they were all talking about it behind my back. The attack had scared everybody. It sent two messages: one, that I was the son of the Sea God; and two, monsters would stop at nothing to kill me. They could even invade a camp that had always been considered safe. **

"How is this Camp 'safe'?" Amos asked

"It's protected by a magical shield" Annabeth explains

"Like the Brooklyn house" Zia says

"Yeah, but it protected more than a house" Nico says

**The other campers steered clear of me as much as possible. Cabin eleven was too nervous to have sword class with me after what I'd done to the Ares folks in the woods, so my lessons with Luke became one-on-one. He pushed me harder than ever, and wasn't afraid to bruise me up in the process. **

**"You're going to need all the training you can get, " he promised, as we were working with swords and flaming torches. "Now let's try that viper-beheading strike again. Fifty more repetitions. " **

"fifty? He's kidding, right?" Carter says

"I don't know, he seemed pretty serious that time" I answer

"What if you _really _get beheaded?" Zia asks

"Then Luke's plan would be complete very early" Apollo answers

**Annabeth still taught me Greek in the mornings, but she seemed distracted. Every time I said something, she scowled at me, as if I'd just poked her between the eyes. **

"Harsh" Nico comments

"No need to insult your future boyfriend, Annie" Aphrodite says

"One, don't call me Annie. Two, we were not even dating!" Annabeth says, "I think you were busy with another love life at that time"

"True, true"

**After lessons, she would walk away muttering to herself: "Quest ... Poseidon? ... Dirty rotten ... Got to make a plan ... " **

"There you have it folks. Twelve-year-old Annabeth" Grover says, clapping his hands

**Even Clarisse kept her distance, though her venomous looks made it clear she wanted to kill me for breaking her magic spear. I wished she would just yell or punch me or something. I'd rather get into fights every day than be ignored. **

"Are you sure you want to get into fights everyday?" Sadie asks. I nod.

"At least they treat me like I exist" I say

**I knew somebody at camp resented me, because one night I came into my cabin and found a mortal newspaper dropped inside the doorway, a copy of the New York Daily News, opened to the Metro page. The article took me almost an hour to read, because the angrier I got, the more the words floated around on the page.**

**BOY AND MOTHER STILL MISSING AFTER ****FREAK CAR ACCIDENT**

**BY EILEEN SMYTHE **

"More like _Mother captured by bull-man, boy blamed by obnoxious stepfather" _Thalia says

**Sally Jackson and son Percy are still missing one week after their mysterious disappearance. The family's badly burned '78 Camaro was discovered last Saturday on a north Long Island road with the roof ripped off and the front axle broken. The car had flipped and skidded for several hundred feet before exploding.**

**Mother and son had gone for a weekend vacation to Montauk, but left hastily, under mysterious circumstances. Small traces of blood were found in the car and near the scene of the wreck, but there were no other signs of the missing Jacksons. Residents in the rural area reported seeing nothing unusual around the time of the ****accident. **

"Mortals" Nico mutters.

**Ms. Jackson's husband, Gabe Ugliano, claims that his stepson, Percy Jackson, ****is a troubled child who has been kicked out of numerous boarding schools and has expressed violent tendencies in the past. **

"Since when did I express violent tendencies?" I ask

"When you charged the Minotaur" Annabeth says

"In the past" I clarify

"It is in the past"

**Police would not say whether son Percy is a suspect in his mother's disappearance, but they have not ruled out foul play. Below are recent pictures of Sally Jackson and Percy. Police urge anyone with information to call the following toll-free crime-stoppers hotline.**

**The phone number was circled in black marker. **

"That assho-"

"Nico!"

"Don't tell me you didn't want to say it, Percy"

"I wanted to, but I didn't"

**I wadded up the paper and threw it away, then flopped down in my bunk bed in the middle of my empty cabin.**

**"Lights out, " I told myself miserably. **

"You are WAY too depressed. Look at the bright side for once" Carter says

"If I look at the bright side, I'll go blind" I smile

**That night, I had my worst dream yet. **

"Yet" the other children of the Big Three says

**I was running along the beach in a storm. This time, there was a city behind me. Not New York. The sprawl was different: buildings spread farther apart, palm trees and low hills in the distance.**

**About a hundred yards down the surf, two men were fighting. They looked like TV wrestlers, muscular, with beards and long hair. **

"You watched wrestling when you were a kid? But you were defeated in wrestling many times" Nico says

"I could wrestle you and beat you now"

"Only because of your body mass"

**Both wore flowing Greek tunics, one trimmed in blue, the other in green. **

"Yes, Percy. Wrestlers wear tunics during fights" Apollo laughs

"Why would they even wear tunics?" Zia asks

"To give respect to the gods?" Thalia suggested

**They grappled with each other, wrestled, kicked and head-butted, and every time they connected, lightning flashed, the sky grew darker, and the wind rose. **

"Oh, my two dear nephews" Aphrodite says

**I had to stop them. I didn't know why. But the harder I ran, the more the wind blew me back, until I was running in place, my heels digging uselessly in the sand.**

**Over the roar of the storm, I could hear the blue-robed one yelling at the green-robed one, Give it back! Give it back! Like a kindergartner fighting over a toy. **

"Only Percy would compare it like that" Thalia laughs

**The waves got bigger, crashing into the beach, spraying me with salt. I ****yelled, Stop it! Stop fighting!**

**The ground shook. Laughter came from somewhere under the earth, and a voice so deep and evil it turned my blood to ice. **

"Uncle H?" Apollo says

"Nope. Grandpa" I say

"Who is your grandpa?" Sadie asks

"You'll find out"

**Come down, little hero, the voice crooned. Come down!**

**The sand split beneath me, opening up a crevice straight down to the center of the earth. My feet slipped, and darkness swallowed me.**

**I woke up, sure I was falling.**

**I was still in bed in cabin three. My body told me it was morning, but it was dark outside, and thunder rolled across the hills. A storm was brewing. I hadn't dreamed that.**

**I heard a clopping sound at the door, a hoof knocking on the threshold.**

**"Come in?" **

**Grover trotted inside, looking worried. "Mr. D wants to see you. "**

**"Why?"**

**"He wants to kill... I mean, I'd better let him tell you. " **

"Yes, that is how you send a message. _Hey, somebody wants to see you and blast you to pieces. Oh sorry, that was harsh. I meant he wanted to talk" _Thalia says

**Nervously, I got dressed and followed, sure that I was in huge trouble.**

**For days, I'd been half expecting a summons to the Big House. Now that I was declared a son of Poseidon, one of the Big Three gods who weren't supposed to have kids, I figured it was a crime for me just to be alive. **

"Yeah, something like that" Nico says

**The other gods had probably been debating the best way to punish me for existing, and now Mr. D was ready to deliver their verdict.**

**Over Long Island Sound, the sky looked like ink soup coming to a boil. A hazy ****curtain of rain was coming in our direction. I asked Grover if we needed an umbrella. **

"You're crazy" Annabeth mutters. I place a kiss on her cheek. She kisses me back, except on the lips

Aphrodite squeals, "They are so adorable!"

Nico covers his ears "You guys should've done it in your alone time, now I'm partially deaf"

**"No, " he said. "It never rains here unless we want it to. "**

**I pointed at the storm. "What the heck is that, then?"**

**He glanced uneasily at the sky. "It'll pass around us. Bad weather always does. "**

**I realized he was right. In the week I'd been here, it had never even been overcast. The few rain clouds I'd seen had skirted right around the edges of the valley.**

**But this storm ... This one was huge.**

**At the volleyball pit, the kids from Apollo's cabin were playing a morning ****game against the satyrs. **

"Go, my kids!" Apollo says

**Dionysus's twins were walking around in the strawberry fields, making the plants grow. Everybody was going about their normal business, but they looked tense. They kept their eyes on the storm.**

**Grover and I walked up to the front porch of the Big House. Dionysus sat at the pinochle table in his tiger-striped Hawaiian shirt with his Diet Coke, just as he had on my first day. Chiron sat across the table in his fake wheel-chair. They were playing against invisible opponents-two sets of cards hovering in the air. **

"Weird, yet awesome" Sadie says

**"Well, well, " Mr. D said without looking up. "Our little celebrity. " **

"Oh please. He won't even admit he's the star of the camp" Grover says

"It's because I am not!" I exclaim

"Hear hear"

**I waited.**

**"Come closer, " Mr. D said. "And don't expect me to kowtow to you, mortal, just because old Barnacle- Beard is your father. " **

"I wonder how Dad will react hearing that" I say

**A net of lightning flashed across the clouds. Thunder shook the windows of the ****house.**

**"Blah, blah, blah, " Dionysus said. **

"Please explain to me how this is _Dionysus' _torture, 'cause it feels like it's ours" Nico says

"You don't even stay at camp that much" I say

"But I still stay at camp"

**Chiron feigned interest in his pinochle cards. Grover cowered by the railing, his hooves clopping back and forth.**

**"If I had my way, " Dionysus said, "I would cause your molecules to erupt in flames. We'd sweep up the ashes and be done with a lot of trouble. But Chiron seems to feel this would be against my mission at this cursed camp: to keep you little brats safe from harm. " **

"Spontaneous combustion _is _a form of harm" Zia says

**"Spontaneous combustion is a form of harm, Mr. D, " Chiron put in. **

"Hey, you think like a half-horse!" Carter teases his girlfriend

"At least he's a _wise_ half-horse" she smirks

"Touche"

**"Nonsense, " Dionysus said. "Boy wouldn't feel a thing. Nevertheless, I've agreed to restrain myself I'm thinking of turning you into a dolphin instead, sending you back to your father. "**

**"Mr. D-" Chiron warned.**

**"Oh, all right, " Dionysus relented. "There's one more option. But it's deadly foolishness. " **

"Percy is all about foolishness" Grover says

**Dionysus rose, and the invisible players' cards dropped to the table. "I'm off to Olympus for the emergency meeting. If the boy is still here when I get back, I'll turn him into an Atlantic bottlenose. Do you understand? And Perseus Jackson, if you're at all smart, you'll see that's a much more sensible choice than what Chiron feels you must do. " **

"There are many things that are wrong in this paragraph" Nico says

"What?" I ask, the Egyptians chorusing.

"One: he goes to Olympus for a meeting and didn't complain" Thalia says

"Two: He had specified a type of dolphin, and usually D would only say '_I'll turn you into a dolphin_" Apollo says

"Three: He expects Percy to understand" Grover continues

"Four: He correctly said your name" Annabeth says, "Plus points for it being the full name"

"And, Four: Percy is no where near smart" Nico laughs. I stuck out my tongue at him while the others laugh

**Dionysus picked up a playing card, twisted it, and it became a plastic rectangle. A credit card? No. A security pass.**

**He snapped his fingers.**

**The air seemed to fold and bend around him. He became a hologram, then a wind, then he was gone, leaving only the smell of fresh-pressed grapes lingering behind.**

**Chiron smiled at me, but he looked tired and strained. "Sit, Percy, please. And Grover. "**

**We did.**

**Chiron laid his cards on the table, a winning hand he hadn't gotten to use. **

**"Tell me, Percy, " he said. "What did you make of the hellhound?"**

**Just hearing the name made me shudder. **

"Hellhound" Nico grins

"I don't shudder anymo-"

"Hellhound" Anubis smiles

"Hellhound" Thalia laughs

"Hellhound" Amos says

"Mrs. O' Leary!" Nico exclaims

"Who?" Zia asks

**Chiron probably wanted me to say, Heck, it was nothing. I eat hellhounds for breakfast. But I didn't feel like lying.**

**"It scared me, " I said. "If you hadn't shot it, I'd be dead. "**

**"You'll meet worse, Percy. Far worse, before you're done. " **

"That makes me feel all warm and fuzzy now" I say

"Like when you kiss Annabeth?" Aphrodite asks me

I blush, "That's a different kind"

**"Done ... With what?"**

**"Your quest, of course. Will you accept it?"**

**I glanced at Grover, who was crossing his fingers. **

"You really want to bi in the quest, do you?" Amos asks Grover. He nodded

**"Um, sir, " I said, "you haven't told me what it is yet. "**

**Chiron grimaced. "Well, that's the hard part, the details. " **

"Always was and always be"

**Thunder rumbled across the valley. The storm clouds had now reached the edge of the beach. As far as I could see, the sky and the sea were boiling together.**

**"Poseidon and Zeus, " I said. "They're fighting over something valuable ... Something that was stolen, aren't they?" **

**Chiron and Grover exchanged looks.**

**Chiron sat forward in his wheelchair. "How did you know that?"**

**My face felt hot. I wished I hadn't opened my big mouth. **

"That's a first" Thalia smirks

"What?" I ask

"That you regret opening that big mouth of yours"

"Oh, go to Tartarus" I say

"No way. If I'm going then you're going with me" she smiles.

**"The weather since Christmas has been weird, like the sea and the sky are fighting. Then I talked to Annabeth, and she'd overheard something about a theft. And ... I've also been having these dreams. "**

**"I knew it, " Grover said.**

**"Hush, satyr, " Chiron ordered. **

"Hush, satyr!" Nico, Thalia, Carter and Sadie says to Grover

He bleats, "Bla-ha-ha. I'm Lord of the Wild now!"

**"But it is his quest!" Grover's eyes were bright with excitement. "It must be!"**

**"Only the Oracle can determine. " Chiron stroked his bristly beard. **

"I always wondered what it is to have a beard" Nico says, sadly, out loud

Aphrodite smirks and snaps her fingers. Nico's chin and jawline grew black hair. He looked like those captains in cartoon with the anchor tattoo and peg leg. All that is left is a sailor outfit and he's good to go.

"Look at Death Breath! He looks like an old man!" Thalia laughs. Everybody laughs at Nico, who was red from embarrassment.

He turns to the love goddess, "What did you do to me!" he scratches at his beard and mustache, "It itches!"

"You look adorable, dear-"

"Yeah, like a ram!"

Aphrodite huffs, "Fine then" she snaps and Nico got a shaven face again.

He rubs his face, "Ah, skin"

**"Nevertheless, Percy, you are correct. Your father and Zeus are having their worst quarrel in centuries. They are fighting over something valuable that was stolen. To ****be precise: a lightning bolt. " **

"Oh, so that is why the book is called Lightning Thief. You stole the lightning bolt" Carter says

Sadie rolls her eyes, "No, brother. It's called the Lightning Thief because Percy here stole rainbows and unicorn farts"

**I laughed nervously. "A what?"**

**"Do not take this lightly, " Chiron warned. "I'm not talking about some tinfoil-covered zigzag you'd see in a second-grade play. I'm talking about a two-foot-long cylinder of high-grade celestial bronze, capped on both ends with god-level explosives. " **

"oh"

**"Oh. "**

**"Zeus's master bolt, " Chiron said, getting worked up now. "The symbol of his power, from which all other lightning bolts are patterned. The first weapon made by the Cyclopes for the war against the Titans, the bolt that sheered the top off Mount Etna and hurled Kronos from his throne; the master bolt, which packs enough power to make mortal hydrogen bombs look like firecrackers. " **

"One thing's for sure, Never let Sadie get that. The world will end"

"Hey! As if you could do better, brother"

**"And it's missing?"**

**"Stolen, " Chiron said.**

**"By who?" **

"By whom" Annabeth corrects me. Aphrodite chuckles

"What? What's so funny?" she asks

**"By whom, " Chiron corrected. **Aphrodite reads

"You think like a horse!" Nico laughs

"I'll gut you like a horse if you won't shut up"

**Once a teacher, always a teacher. "By you. "**

**My mouth fell open.**

**"At least"-Chiron held up a hand-"that's what Zeus thinks. During the winter solstice, at the last council of the gods, Zeus and Poseidon had an argument. **

"That's no surprise" Apollo says

"Yep, totally agree with you. They got worry lines around their faces!" Aphrodite says

** The usual nonsense: 'Mother Rhea always liked you best, ' **

"Are you kidding me?" Bast says, "They argue over that?"

"Grandmother Rhea loves all of her kids!" Apollo says

"And descendants" Anubis points out, "I have met her before. She was truly motherly, even to me, an Egyptian god"

** Air disasters are more spectacular than sea disasters, ' et cetera. Afterward, Zeus realized his master bolt was missing, taken from the throne room under his very nose. He immediately blamed Poseidon. Now, a god cannot usurp another god's symbol of power directly-that is forbidden by the most ancient of divine laws. But Zeus ****believes your father convinced a human hero to take it. " **

"And he blames you? A twelve-year-old child?" Amos says

"Yep"

**"But I didn't-"**

**"Patience and listen, child, " Chiron said. "Zeus has good reason to be suspicious. **

"Let's listen to it, then" Nico says

**The forges of the Cyclopes are under the ocean, which gives Poseidon some influence over the makers of his brother's lightning. Zeus believes Poseidon has taken the master bolt, and is now secretly having the Cyclopes build an arsenal of illegal copies, which might be used to topple Zeus from his throne. The only thing Zeus wasn't sure about was which hero Poseidon used to steal the bolt. Now Poseidon has openly claimed you as his son. You were in New York over the winter holidays. You could easily have snuck into Olympus. Zeus believes he has found his thief. "**

**"But I've never even been to Olympus! Zeus is crazy!" **

Thunder rumbles outside

"I have to agree with you, though, Percy. I mean, what did he see in my mother?" Thalia says.

**Chiron and Grover glanced nervously at the sky. The clouds didn't seem to be ****parting around us, as Grover had promised. They were rolling straight over our valley, sealing us in like a coffin lid. **

"Your thought are so optimistic, Percy" Nico says sarcastically

**"Er, Percy ... ?" Grover said. "We don't use the c-word to describe the Lord of the Sky. "**

**"Perhaps paranoid, " Chiron suggested. **

Everybody laughs at what the centaur had said

"Paranoid _is _the right word" Carter says

"Give me one example of Zeus being paranoid, 'cause I have no idea what is going on" Sadie says

"Well, it was prophesied that one of his children with Metis would over throw him. When she was pregnant with my mother and Athena's brother, he ate Metis." Annabeth says

"That's gross" I managed to say

"Yeah, well, Athena was born already and she grew in Zeus' head. Her brother didn't make it, though. She gave Zeus massive headaches to the point where he told Hephaestus to cut open his head. From it, Athena sprang out in full battle armor" she continues

"So, there is a possibility that you can be pregnant from headaches?" Sadie asks

"No"

**"Then again, Poseidon has tried to unseat Zeus before. I believe that was question thirty-eight on your final exam... " He looked at me as if he actually expected me to remember question thirty-eight. **

"I wouldn't" Nico says

**How could anyone accuse me of stealing a god's weapon? I couldn't even steal a slice of pizza from Gabe's poker party without getting busted. **

"It's changed now" I say, "I have been hanging out with the Stolls"

**Chiron was waiting for an answer.**

**"Something about a golden net?" I guessed. "Poseidon and Hera and a few other gods ... They, like, trapped Zeus and wouldn't let him out until he promised to be a better ruler, right?" **

"Never worked" Apollo says

**"Correct, " Chiron said. "And Zeus has never trusted Poseidon since. Of course, Poseidon denies stealing the master bolt. He took great offense at the accusation. The two have been arguing back and ****forth for months, threatening war. And now, you've come along-the proverbial last straw. "**

**"But I'm just a kid!" **

"Yep"

**"Percy, " Grover cut in, "if you were Zeus, and you already thought your brother was plotting to overthrow you, then your brother suddenly admitted he had broken the sacred oath he took after World War II, that he's fathered a new mortal hero who might be used as a weapon against you... Wouldn't that put a twist in your toga?" **

"A twist in your toga" Sadie laughs

"At least they don't wear kilts" Carter mutters

**"But I didn't do anything. Poseidon-my dad-he didn't really have this master bolt stolen, did he?"**

**Chiron sighed. "Most thinking observers would agree that thievery is not Poseidon's style. **

"It's Hermes'" Thalia says

** But the Sea God is too proud to try convincing Zeus of that. Zeus has demanded that Poseidon return the bolt by the summer solstice. That's June twenty-first, ten days from now. Poseidon wants an apology for being called a thief by the same date. I hoped that diplomacy might prevail, that Hera or Demeter or Hestia would make the two brothers see sense. But your arrival has inflamed Zeus's temper. Now neither god will back down. Unless someone intervenes, unless the master bolt is found and returned to Zeus before the solstice, there will be war. And do you know what a full-fledged war would look like, Percy?"**

**"Bad?" I guessed. **

"Seriously? Bad is the only word you can think of?" Anubis says

**"Imagine the world in chaos. Nature at war with itself. Olympians forced to choose sides between Zeus and Poseidon. Destruction. Carnage. Millions dead. Western civilization turned into a battleground so big it will make the Trojan War look like a water-balloon fight. "**

**"Bad, " I repeated. **

"Yes, bad"

**"And you, Percy Jackson, would be the first to feel Zeus's wrath. " **

"Well, that sucks" Bast says

**It started to rain. Volleyball players stopped their game and stared in stunned silence at the sky.**

**I had brought this storm to Half-Blood Hill. Zeus was punishing the whole camp because of me. I was furious. **

"You blame everything on yourself" Annabeth says

"Not everything is your fault, you know" Thalia says

"But it does feel like it" I mutter

**"So I have to find the stupid bolt, " I said. "And return it to Zeus. " **

"Yes, bring back the stupid bolt" Nico says

**"What better peace offering, " Chiron said, "than to have the son of Poseidon return Zeus's property?"**

**"If Poseidon doesn't have it, where is the thing?"**

**"I believe I know. " Chiron's expression was grim. "Part of a prophecy I had years ago ... Well, some of the lines make sense to me, now. But before I can say more, you must officially take up the quest. You must seek the counsel of the Oracle. " **

"_My _Oracle" Apollo says

**"Why can't you tell me where the bolt is beforehand?"**

**"Because if I did, you would be too afraid to accept the challenge. " **

"Good reason" Nico says

**I swallowed. "Good reason. " **

"Oh no, I think like a sea spawn!"

**"You agree then?"**

**I looked at Grover, who nodded encouragingly.**

**Easy for him. I was the one Zeus wanted to kill. **

"Sorry man" Grover grins

**"All right, " I said. "It's better than being turned into a dolphin. " **

"At least that was positive"

**"Then it's time you consulted the Oracle, " Chiron said. "Go upstairs, Percy Jackson, to the attic. When you come back down, assuming you're still sane, we will talk more. " **

"_Assuming you're still sane?_" Zia raises an eyebrow

"People can get crazy after their counsel with the Oracle"

**Four flights up, the stairs ended under a green trap-door.**

**I pulled the cord. The door swung down, and a wooden ladder clattered into place.**

**The warm air from above smelled like mildew and rotten wood and something else ... A smell I remembered from biology class. Reptiles. The smell of snakes.**

**I held my breath and climbed.**

**The attic was filled with Greek hero junk: armor stands covered in cobwebs; once-bright shields pitted with rust; old leather steamer trunks plastered with stickers saying ITHAKA, CIRCE'S ISLE, and LAND OF THE AMAZONS. One long table ****was stacked with glass jars filled with pickled things-severed hairy claws, huge yellow eyes, various other parts of monsters. **

"why would you keep those things?" Bast asks

"Memories"

**A dusty mounted trophy on the wall looked like a giant snake's head, but with horns and a full set of shark's teeth. The plaque read, HYDRA HEAD #1, WOODSTOCK, N. Y. , 1969. **

**By the window, sitting on a wooden tripod stool, was the most gruesome memento of all: a mummy. **

"It's not a memento" Annabeth says

**Not the wrapped-in-cloth kind, but a human female body shriveled to a husk. She wore a tie-dyed sundress, lots of beaded necklaces, and a headband over long black hair. The skin of her face was thin and leathery over her skull, and her eyes were glassy white slits, as if the real eyes had been replaced by marbles; she'd been dead a long, long time.**

**Looking at her sent chills up my back. And that was before she sat up on her stool and opened her mouth. A green mist poured from the mummy's mouth, coiling over the floor in thick tendrils, hissing like twenty thousand snakes. **

Those who haven't met the Oracle shivered

**I stumbled over myself trying to get to the trap-door, but it slammed shut. Inside my head, I heard a voice, slithering into one ear and coiling around my brain: I am the ****spirit of Delphi, speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python. Approach, seeker, and ask.**

**I wanted to say, No thanks, wrong door, just looking for the bath-room. **

"How can you be funny at a time like this?" Amos laughs

"It's a Percy-trait" Thalia says

**But I forced myself to take a deep breath.**

**The mummy wasn't alive. She was some kind of gruesome receptacle for something else, the power that was now swirling around me in the green mist. But its presence didn't feel evil, like my demonic math teacher Mrs. Dodds or the Minotaur. It felt more like the Three Fates I'd seen knitting the yarn outside the highway fruit stand: ancient, powerful, and definitely not human. But not particularly interested in killing me, either. **

"I guess it's a good thing" Anubis says

**I got up the courage to ask, "What is my destiny?" **

"dramatic much?" Nico laughs

**The mist swirled more thickly, collecting right in front of me and around the table with the pickled monster-part jars. Suddenly there were four men sitting**

**around the table, playing cards. Their faces became clearer. It was Smelly Gabe and his buddies. **

"Oh, great!" Thalia says, exasperated.

**My fists clenched, though I knew this poker party couldn't be real. It was an illusion, made out of mist.**

**Gabe turned toward me and spoke in the rasping voice of the Oracle: You shall go west, and face the god who has turned.**

**His buddy on the right looked up and said in the same voice: You shall find what was stolen, and see it safely returned. **

"The bolt"

**The guy on the left threw in two poker chips, then said: You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend. **

The demigods pale at the reminder. Luke.

**Finally, Eddie, our building super, delivered the worst line of all: And you shall fail to save what matters most, in the end. **

"What!?" Sadie exclaims

"Calm down, Sadie" Anubis says, pulling her down

**The figures began to dissolve. At first I was too stunned to say anything, but as the mist retreated, coiling into a huge green serpent and slithering back into the mouth of the mummy, I cried, "Wait! What do you mean? What friend? What will I fail to save?" **

"Doesn't work like that Perce. Sorry" Apollo says

**The tail of the mist snake disappeared into the mummy's mouth. She reclined back against the wall. Her mouth closed tight, as if it hadn't been open in a hundred years. The attic was silent again, abandoned, nothing but a room full of mementos.**

**I got the feeling that I could stand here until I had cobwebs, too, and I wouldn't learn anything else.**

**My audience with the Oracle was over.**

**"Well?" Chiron asked me.**

**I slumped into a chair at the pinochle table. "She said I would retrieve what ****was stolen. "**

**Grover sat forward, chewing excitedly on the remains of a Diet Coke can. "That's great!"**

**"What did the Oracle say exactly?" Chiron pressed. "This is important. "**

**My ears were still tingling from the reptilian voice. "She ****. .. She said I would go west and face a god who had turned. I would retrieve what was stolen and see it safely returned. "**

**"I knew it, " Grover said.**

**Chiron didn't look satisfied. "Anything else?"**

**I didn't want to tell him. **

"You didn't tell him?" Thalia shouts

"I didn't, okay! i was stupid!" I say

"Hey! Percy admits he's stupid!" Nico says

**What friend would betray me? I didn't have that many. **

"Yet" Everybody in the room choruses

**And the last line-I would fail to save what mattered most. What kind of Oracle would send me on a quest and tell me, Oh, by the way, you'll fail**

**How could I confess that?**

**"No, " I said. "That's about it. "**

**He studied my face. "Very well, Percy. But know this: the Oracle's words often have double meanings. Don't dwell on them too much. The truth is not always clear until events come to pass. "**

**I got the feeling he knew I was holding back something bad, and he was trying to make me feel better. **

"He was"

**"Okay, " I said, anxious to change topics. "So where do I go? Who's this god in ****the west?"**

**"Ah, think, Percy, " Chiron said. "If Zeus and Poseidon weaken each other in a war, who stands to gain?"**

**"Somebody else who wants to take over?" I guessed.**

**"Yes, quite. Someone who harbors a grudge, who has been unhappy with his lot since the world was divided eons ago, whose kingdom would grow powerful with the deaths of millions. Someone who hates his brothers for forcing him into an oath to have no more children, an oath that both of them have now broken. "**

**I thought about my dreams, the evil voice that had spoken from under the ground. "Hades. "**

**Chiron nodded. "The Lord of the Dead is the only possibility. " **

"Nope, not the only" Nico says

**A scrap of aluminum dribbled out of Grover's mouth. "Whoa, wait. Wh-what?"**

**"A Fury came after Percy, " Chiron reminded him. "She watched the young man until she was sure of his identity, then tried to kill him. Furies obey only one lord: Hades. "**

**"Yes, but-but Hades hates all heroes, " Grover protested. "Especially if he has found out Percy is a son of Poseidon... . "**

**"A hellhound got into the forest, " Chiron continued. "Those can only be summoned from the Fields of Punishment, and it had to be summoned by someone within the camp. Hades must have a spy here. He must suspect Poseidon will try to use Percy to clear his name. Hades would very much like to kill this young half-blood before he can take on the quest. "**

**"Great, " I muttered. "That's two major gods who want to kill me. " **

"And many more to come" Thalia smiles

**"But a quest to ... " Grover swallowed. "I mean, couldn't the master bolt be in some place like Maine? Maine's very nice this time of year. " **

"It is very nice" Apollo nods

**"Hades sent a minion to steal the master bolt, " Chiron insisted. "He hid it in the Underworld, knowing full well that Zeus would blame Poseidon. I don't pretend to under-stand the Lord of the Dead's motives perfectly, or why he chose this time to start a war, but one thing is certain. Percy must go to the Underworld, find the master bolt, and reveal the truth. " **

"He makes it sound so easy" Zia says

**A strange fire burned in my stomach. The weirdest thing was: it wasn't fear. It was anticipation. The desire for revenge. Hades had tried to kill me three times so far, with the Fury, the Minotaur, and the hellhound. It was his fault my mother had disappeared in a flash of light. Now he was trying to frame me and my dad for a theft we hadn't committed.**

**I was ready to take him ****on.**

**Besides, if my mother was in the Underworld ... **

"You are probably the stupidest dude I have ever met, next to these siblings" Anubis says

"Hey!" The Kanes says

"You know it's true" Anubis says

**Whoa, boy, said the small part of my brain that was still sane. You're a kid. Hades is a god. **

"I like that part of your brain. It makes sense" Annabeth says

"Too bad he rarely uses it" Nico laughs

"May I remind you all that it was read as a '_small part_' of your brain" Thalia says

"Haha, Thalia" I say

**Grover was trembling. He'd started eating pinochle cards like potato chips.**

**The poor guy needed to complete a quest with me so he could get his searcher's license, whatever that was, but how could I ask him to do this quest, especially when the Oracle said I was destined to fail? This was suicide.**

**"Look, if we know it's Hades, " I told Chiron, "why can't we just tell the other gods? Zeus or Poseidon could go down to the Underworld and bust some heads. "**

**"Suspecting and knowing are not the same, " Chiron said. **

"So true" Zia says

**"Besides, even if the ****other gods suspect Hades- and I imagine Poseidon does-they couldn't retrieve the bolt themselves. Gods cannot cross each other's territories except by invitation. That is another ancient rule. Heroes, on the other hand, have certain privileges. They can go anywhere, challenge anyone, as long as they're bold enough and strong enough to do it. No god can be held responsible for a hero's actions. Why do you think the gods always operate through humans?"**

**"You're saying I'm being used. "**

**"I'm saying it's no accident Poseidon has claimed you now. It's a very risky gamble, but he's in a desperate situation. He needs you. "**

**My dad needs me.**

**Emotions rolled around inside me like bits of glass in a kaleidoscope. I didn't know whether to feel resentful or grateful or happy or angry. Poseidon had ignored me for twelve years. Now suddenly he needed me. **

"That sucks" Amos comments

**I looked at Chiron. "You've known I was Poseidon's son all along, haven't you?"**

**"I had my suspicions. As I said ... I've spoken to the Oracle, too. "**

**I got the feeling there was a lot he wasn't telling me about his prophecy, but I decided I couldn't worry about that right now. After all, I was holding back information too.**

**"So let me get this straight, " I said. "I'm supposed go to the Underworld and confront the Lord of the Dead. "**

**"Check, " Chiron said.**

**"Find the most powerful weapon in the universe. "**

**"Check. "**

**"And get it back to Olympus before the summer solstice, in ten days. "**

**"That's about right. " **

"Easier said than done" Anubis says

**I looked at Grover, who gulped down the ace of hearts.**

**"Did I mention that Maine is very nice this time of year?" he asked weakly. **

"Yes, you did"

**"You don't have to go, " I told him. "I can't ask that of you. **

**"Oh ... " He shifted his hooves. "No ... It's just that satyrs and underground places ... Well... "**

**He took a deep breath, then stood, brushing the shredded cards and aluminum bits off his T-shirt. "You saved my life, Percy. If ... If you're serious about wanting me along, I won't let you down. "**

**I felt so relieved I wanted to cry, though I didn't think that would be very heroic. **

"It wouldn't be"

** Grover was the only friend I'd ever had for longer than a few months. I wasn't sure what good a satyr could do against the forces of the dead, but I felt better knowing he'd be with me.**

**"All the way, G-man. " I turned to Chiron. "So where do we go? The Oracle just said to go west. "**

**"The entrance to the Underworld is always in the west. It moves from age to age, just like Olympus. Right now, of course, it's in America. "**

**"Where?"**

**Chiron looked surprised. "I thought that would be obvious enough. The entrance to the Underworld is in Los Angeles. " **

"You get to go to L.A? Awesome!" Sadie says

**"Oh, " I said. "Naturally. So we just get on a plane-" **

"WHAT? NO!" Thalia and Nico shouts

"You're crazy!" Amos exclaims

"It's suicide!" Apollo says

"You'll die before I can tamper with your lovelife!" Guess who said it.

**"No!" Grover shrieked. "Percy, what are you thinking? Have you ever been on a plane in your life?" **

**I shook my head, feeling embarrassed. My mom had never taken me anywhere by plane. She'd always said we didn't have the money. Besides, her parents had died in a plane crash. **

"Your mom's smart. She managed to protect you more with facts" Bast says

**"Percy, think, " Chiron said. "You are the son of the Sea God. Your father's bitterest rival is Zeus, Lord of the Sky. Your mother knew better than to trust you in an airplane. You would be in Zeus's domain. You would never come down again alive. " **

**Overhead, lightning crackled. Thunder boomed.**

**"Okay, " I said, determined not to look at the storm. "So, I'll travel overland. "**

**"That's right, " Chiron said. "Two companions may accompany you. Grover is ****one. The other has already volunteered, if you will accept her help. "**

**"Gee, " I said, feigning surprise. "Who else would be stupid enough to volunteer for a quest like this?" **

"You're calling me stupid?" Annabeth asks

"I-uh, no, no I'm- It's just- What I meant was-" I stutter

"Ooooh" Thalia says

Annabeth then laughs, "I'm kidding, Seaweed Brain"

**The air shimmered behind Chiron.**

**Annabeth became visible, stuffing her Yankees cap into her back pocket. **

"You can turn invisible?" Carter asks

Annabeth nods and takes out her Yankees cap. She puts it on and she disappears

"Cool!"

I then felt a body pounce on me and I fell down. I reached in the air and I felt a fabric. I pull on it to see Annabeth on top of me.

"Hey, Wise Girl" I say

"Hey to you too" she replies

"Can you get off me now?" I ask

She shakes her head and lays down on top off me, "Nah, I like it like this. It's warm" she says

"AWWW!" Aphrodite squeals

"Aphrodite! You'll deafen the children!" Bast says

"My ears!" Sadie shouts

"What?" Thalia shouts back

"I think she's asking what year it is" Nico says

"Oh! It's-"

Apollo snaps his fingers and everybody returned their hearing

"Continue reading please, Aphrodite." I say, hugging on Annabeth.

**"I've been waiting a long time for a quest, seaweed brain, " she said. "Athena is no fan of Poseidon, but if you're going to save the world, I'm the best person to keep you from messing up. " **

"She is"

**"If you do say so yourself, " I said. "I suppose you have a plan, wise girl?"**

**Her cheeks colored. "Do you want my help or not?" **

"Oh, blushing" Thalia wiggles her eyebrows

**The truth was, I did. I needed all the help I could get.**

**"A trio, " I said. "That'll work. "**

**"Excellent, " Chiron said. "This afternoon, we can take you as far as the bus terminal in Manhattan. After that, you are on your own. "**

**Lightning flashed. Rain poured down on the meadows that were never supposed to have violent weather.**

**"No time to waste, " Chiron said. "I think you should all get packing. " **

"And that is the end of the chapter" Aphrodite says

I stand up, pulling Annabeth up with me.

"So-"

I was cut off when a bright light filled the room. Not a portal. A bright light

Two figures drop down on the floor. They were weak and scarred and bloodied. Every inch of their exposed skin was either bleeding or covered in scars.

I gasped

It was us.

**A/N: Cliffy :D**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Update :D. Sorry for the long wait, I had my guitar recital (and it was so embarrassing in front of people)**

* * *

**Nico's POV **

"P-percy?" I stutter. The Percy who had just arrived, the one that was bruised and bloody, turned to me.

"Nico? Where are..." he turns to Thalia, "Thalia?" he manages to say before fainting, along with Annabeth.

Thalia and I reached for them and caught them before they fell on the floor. Percy and Annabeth (the one who were not bruised) was frozen in shock.

"What happened" Sadie exclaims. "Who-who are they?"

"They're Percy and Annabeth" Thalia says, "but older. One year, perhaps"

"Impossible" Carter says.

Anubis' eyes were wide, "They are dying." he says then turns to me, "Can't you feel it, Nico?"

I nod. I didn't accept the fact that they are dying. This is _Percy _and _Annabeth _we are talking about. They are one of the few people who actually cared for me.

Grover stumbles towards the two, "Aqua-man? Perce?" he managed to say before fainting. He fell on the floor with a thud, which regained Percy and Annabeth's (the one who were frozen in shock) attention back.

A note appeared next to me and I read it, "_We can't bear to see these two to die, so we decided to give them a somewhat a timeout to heal - Apollo, Hermes, Aphrodite, Poseidon, Athena and Hestia"_

"Wh-what happened. To us?" Annabeth says

"It's impossible! I can't be bruised" Percy says

"We are looking at your bruised body, Percy. Are you still denying it?" Zia says.

I turn to Apollo, who was staring at the fallen couple in wide eyes, "Apollo! Do something! Please!" I say, my voice cracking.

The god stands up and order Thalia and I to lay them on the floor. He mutter hymns and did some of his godly mumbo-jumbo.

"I need bandages, a clean cloth and a small tub of water" Apollo says, wiping his brow. Bast snaps her fingers and said items appear.

"Why can't you make them appear yourself?" Percy asks

"I'm saving my energy to heal both of you" Apollo says. He turns to me, "Open Percy's shirt while I prepare the gauze"

I nod and took one of Thalia's hunting knives and rip open Percy's shirt. I gasp at the numerous bruises and scars at his blood-covered body.

"Percy..." Annabeth says, "that's not possible..."

Aphrodite stands up, "I think the two of you should go to your rooms" she says to Percy and Annabeth, who reluctantly follows because of the charmspeak.

The Egyptians were uncomfortable in their beanbags.

I look at them, "You can come and see them"

Sadie was the first one to get up and went to Annabeth's side. Zia followed her, trailed by the male Kanes. Anubis and Bast went and stood next to Apollo.

"Thalia, cut open Annabeth's shirt also" Apollo says, cleaning one of Percy's wound with a damp cloth.

"W-what?" I felt my face warm up, "Are you serious?"

"They are in need of medical attention, Mr. di Angelo. Settle those thoughts later" Apollo says as Thalia rips open Annabeth's shirt, which was equally covered in bruises and blood.

Grover then sat next to me, "Oh Pe-er-cy." he bleated, covering his face, "What happened _now?__" _he says.

"Calm down, Goat boy. He'll survive" I say.

Few minutes later, Aphrodite arrives, "Percy and Annabeth wants to see, well, themselves"

The said couple arrives and kneels next to the other them

"Why do I have a Bubblewrap splinter on my ankle?" she says.

"From the looks of it, I'd say you made that yourself" Thalia says, then a silver coin drops from the Fallen Annabeth's pocket.

I pick up the coin and look at it, "It's an ancient coin. An Athenian coin"

"Athenian coin?" Sadie says

"The currency from a town of Athens, whose patron was Athena" Carter answers

"Well, that makes sense"

"Let me se- OUCH" Annabeth drops the coin as it glows red then disappeared.

"That was anti-climatic" Amos says.

Apollo stands up and wipes his hands, "The other scars need to heal naturally, so I suggest you guys to eat. I'll take care of them"

Aphrodite stands up and brushes her gown. She snaps her fingers and she was now wearing a pair of jeans and a simple shirt, but she looks glamorous.

"I'll make dinner" she says and heads to the kitchen.

* * *

"You guys should see this" Apollo says. I saw scratch marks on his arms and face.

We stand up and head to the living. The Percy and Annabeth which have arrived (We'll name them FP [Future Percy] and FA [Future Annabeth] ) was sitting on a beanie, holding each other as if their lives depended on it.

"Hey, Nico" FP says. His voice was hollow. No more joy and cheerfulness in it.

"Percy, what happened?" I ask

"Long story, Nico" FA says, "Is that, us?" she points at present Percy and Annabeth

"Oh my gods" Sadie says, seeing FA's face, which was cleaned from the blood and grime. Her face was thin and her cheek bones were prominent. Percy was the same.

"I'm sorry but, who are you?" FA says, tightening her grip on FP, who didn't even wince.

"She's Sadie Kane, an Egyptian magician." Thalia says, "No need for reactions and an _I-told-you-so_. You already did that" FA blushed slightly.

"So, introductions please" FP says.

* * *

**A/N: short chapter, sorry. :D**

**I keep on saying that I hate it whenever the author updates a story but only gives the readers a short chapter. I'm such a hypocrite :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hey look, an update! School here starts in June 10, it's June 5 now T.T**

* * *

**Sadie's POV**

"So..." FA (Future Annabeth) says, pointing at us Egyptians, "you guys are Egyptian magicians that follow the steps of Egyptian gods" she points at Anubis and Bast, "and you are Egyptian gods"

I nod, "Yep, pretty much"

FP (Future Percy) laughs, "Imagine if we were following the path of our parents. Thalia would have to fly and I would have to wear pajamas all the time"

Percy laughs, "That's what I thought!" he gives FP a high-five.

"Well, at least we know you are still a Kelp Head in the future" Thalia says.

"Can we read now?" Nico says, "I want to eat after this chapter"

"You had 5 servings at lunch" Zia says

"I'm a growing boy" Nico says.

"If I were you, you'd treasure every piece of meat you'd eat." FP says to Nico

Nico paled, "why?"

"Just something that'll happen in the future" FA replies, "do you have that pomegranates from Persephone's garden?"

Nico takes out plump fruits from his pocket, "How did-"

"The time will come when you have to use that" FA says. Nico's eyes widen and he places the fruits back in his pocket. He takes the book from the pile and opens the book. Apollo stands up.

"Dudes, I just received a message from Hermes telling me that me and Aphrodite-"

"Aphrodite and I" Annabeth and FA says

"-yes, Aphrodite and I have to return to Olympus. Bye guys. I enjoyed the break" he says and disappears.

Aphrodite stands up and hugs each of us. She whispers in my ear, "I hope you enjoyed the love life I gave you"

I turn to her, "You did that?" I ask her. She nods. Anubis glared at her.

She then hugs Carter and Zia. Both of them had blushed when she whispered something.

She goes and hugs Thalia, "Why did you have to be a huntress? I had an amazing lovelife ahead of you" she says to her.

Thalia shakes her head, "I think I had enough lovey-dovey stuff in a lifetime." she replied.

Aphrodite hugs Grover, "Jupiter's worried sick about you. You have to IM her every now and then" she says. Grover nods.

She goes to Nico, "Are you sure you don't need a girl?"

Nico shakes his head, "No thank you!" he says. Aphrodite pouts.

She hugs Percy and Annabeth, "Your story is as just as tragic as Romeo and Juliet" she says

"Didn't they die in the end?" Nico says. FA and FP pales.

Aphrodite waves in dismissal, "Oh please, that was Hera's doing. She said it was a disgrace in the family" she says. She turns to FP and FA and embraces them.

"I'm at your side, you know" she says to them. Both of them return her hug.

She separates from them, but she looked like she wanted to kidnap them, "Well, ta-ta. I have to go. Love lives to improve" she says

"Or destroy" FA suggest.

"A tragic love story is beautiful, Annabeth" Aphrodite says then disappears.

Nico opens the book, "I don't know about you guys, but I'm gonna read"

FA and FP sat down, holding each other as if they'd die if they let go. What happened?

**I RUIN A PERFECTLY ****GOOD BUS, **Nico reads

**It didn't take me long to pack. I decided to leave the Minotaur horn in my cabin, which left me only an extra change of clothes and a toothbrush to stuff in a backpack Grover had found for me.**

**The camp store loaned me one hundred dollars in mortal money and twenty golden drachmas. These coins were as big as Girl Scout cookies and had images of various Greek gods stamped on one side and the Empire State Building on the other. The ancient mortal drachmas had been silver, Chiron told us, but Olympians never used less than pure gold. **

" 'Cause it would be an insult to their godliness" FP says.

**Chiron said the coins might come in handy for non-mortal transactions-whatever that meant. **

"Oh gods, you are so-" FA starts

"I was twelve!" FP and Percy says in unison.

**He gave Annabeth and me each a canteen of nectar and a Ziploc bag full of ambrosia squares, to be used only in emergencies, if ****we were seriously hurt. It was god food, Chiron reminded us. It would cure us of almost any injury, but it was lethal to mortals. Too much of it would make a half-blood very, very feverish. An overdose would burn us up, literally. **

"I felt sorry for that newbie" Annabeth says

"Yeah, he became the Human Torch" Percy says

"Isn't that Leo?" FP says

"Who?" all of us say. FA waves it in dismissal.

**Annabeth was bringing her magic Yankees cap, which she told me had been a twelfth-birthday present from her mom. She carried a book on famous classical architecture, written in Ancient Greek, to read when she got bored, and a long bronze knife, hidden in her shirt sleeve. I was sure the knife would get us busted the first time we went through a metal detector. **

Facepalms across the room.

**Grover wore his fake feet and his pants to pass as human. He wore a green rasta-style cap, because when it rained his curly hair flattened and you could just see the tips of his horns. **

"I missed that cap" Grover says, "it was so comfy"

**His bright orange backpack was full of scrap metal and apples to snack on. In his pocket was a set of reed pipes his daddy goat had carved for him, even though he only knew two songs: Mozart's Piano Concerto no. 12 and Hilary Duff's "So Yesterday, " both of which sounded pretty bad on reed pipes. **

Everybody laughs at Grover's hurt face.

"Sorry man, but it was pretty bad at that time" Percy says

"At least you'll improve" FP says

"I will?" Grover says.

**We waved good-bye to the other campers, took one last look at the strawberry fields, the ocean, and the Big House, then hiked up Half-Blood Hill to the tall pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus. **

"Used to be" Thalia says, "do I look like a tree to you?"

"Is that a trick question?" Nico says.

**Chiron was waiting for us in his wheelchair. Next to him stood the surfer dude I'd seen when I was recovering in the sick room. According to Grover, the guy was the camp's head of security. He ****supposedly had eyes all over his body so he could never be surprised. Today, though, he was wearing a chauffeur's uniform, so I could only see extra peepers on his hands, face and neck. **

"Eyes, everywhere?" Carter says

The demigods nod.

"If you know what I mean" Nico smirks

"Nico! Gross!" Annabeth says. Grover and Thalia hit him on the head.

"Calm down, Thals, he'll lose brain cells" FP smiles.

"Hey, I'm funny" Percy smiles.

**"This is Argus, " Chiron told me. "He will drive you into the city, and, er, well, keep an eye on things. " **

"Bad pun" Anubis says

**I heard footsteps behind us.**

**Luke came running up the hill, carrying a pair of basketball shoes. **

The demigods looked down while Grover looked guilty.

**"Hey!" he panted. "Glad I caught you. "**

**Annabeth blushed, the way she always did when Luke was around.**

"Oh, little Annabeth has a crush" FP says

"So, you want me and Luke to go out, is that what you are saying?" FA says to him. FP holds her close to him, "No, you're mine" he says.

**"Just ****wanted to say good luck, " Luke told me. "And I thought ... Um, maybe you could use these. " **

"Yeah, _good luck_" Grover says.

**He handed me the sneakers, which looked pretty normal. They even smelled kind of normal. **

"Percy smells shoes?" Nico says

"Too much information" Carter says.

**Luke said, "Maia!"**

**White bird's wings sprouted out of the heels, startling me so much, I dropped ****them. The shoes flapped around on the ground until the wings folded up and disappeared. **

"Yes, receive a gift, drop it in the ground" I say

"Try getting a gift where wings sprouted suddenly" Percy says.

"Touche"

**"Awesome!" Grover said.**

**Luke smiled. "Those served me well when I was on my quest. Gift from Dad. Of course, I don't use them much these days... " His expression turned sad.**

**I didn't know what to say. It was cool enough that Luke had come to say good-bye. I'd been afraid he might resent me for getting so much attention the last few days. But here he was giving me a magic gift... It made me blush almost as much as Annabeth. **

FA opens her mouth, but FP stops her, "Not a word"

**"Hey, man, " I said. "Thanks. "**

**"Listen, Percy ... " Luke looked uncomfortable. "A lot of hopes are riding on you. So just ... Kill some monsters for me, okay?"**

"Saying that to a normal twelve-year-old would freak him out" Amos says

"But Percy's not normal" Grover says

"Was that supposed to be an insult?" Percy says

**We shook hands. Luke patted Grover's head between his horns, then gave a good-bye hug to Annabeth, who looked like she might pass out. **

"Not a word" Annabeth glares at all of us. Especially Percy.

FA laughs.

**After Luke was gone, I told her, "You're hyperventilating. "**

**"Am not. " **

"Denial" I say

"When they reached 14, she would be hyperventilating if _Percy_ was the one who held her" Grover laughs.

"Too bad Percy is just so dense" FA says. Annabeth nods at herself.

"Hey!" FP says

"I am not dense" Percy says

"Oh yeah, you didn't even notice Reyna" FA says

"She needed a co-leader after Jason" FP says. Thalia seems to pipe up at the _Jason_ part.

"I don't know who Jason and Reyna is, but one of the most perfect example of Percy's denseness was during Mt. St. Helens" Annabeth says.

"What happened?" Carter asks

"We kissed" Percy says, "and then I blew up the mountain"

"And after the kiss, he was still oblivious" Annabeth says.

"Okay, back to the story" Nico says, chuckling.

**"You let him capture the flag instead of you, didn't you?"**

**"Oh ... Why do I want to go anywhere with you, Percy?" **

"Because you love him" I smile

**She stomped down the other side of the hill, where a white SUV waited on the shoulder of the road. Argus followed, jingling his car keys.**

**I picked up the flying shoes and had a sudden bad feeling. I looked at Chiron. "I won't be able to use these, will I?"**

**He shook his head. "Luke meant well, Percy. But taking to the air ... That would not be wise for you. " **

"Why?" I ask

"Flying. Son of Poseidon. Ring any bells?" Annabeth says

"He would die the moment he rises up" Thalia says

**I nodded, disappointed, but then I got an idea. "Hey, Grover. You want a magic item?"**

**His eyes lit up. "Me?"**

**Pretty soon we'd laced the sneakers over his fake feet, and the world's first flying goat boy was ready for launch. **

"Too bad it didn't reach the news" Thalia laughs.

**"Maia!" he shouted.**

**He got off the ground okay, but then fell over sideways so his backpack dragged through the grass. The winged shoes kept bucking up and down like tiny broncos.**

**"Practice, " Chiron called after him. "You just need practice!"**

**"Aaaaa!" Grover went flying sideways down the hill like a possessed lawn mower, heading toward the van. **

"Possessed lawn mower?" Nico laughs

"Before, I always wondered what's going in your head, now, I don't " Annabeth says.

**Before I could follow, Chiron caught my arm. "I should have trained you better, Percy, " he said. "If only I had more time. Hercules, Jason-they all got more training. "**

**"That's okay. I just wish-"**

**I stopped myself because I was about to sound like a brat. I was wishing my dad had given me a cool magic item to help on the quest, something as good as Luke's flying shoes, or Annabeth's invisible cap.**

**"What am I thinking?" Chiron cried. "I can't let you get away without this. "**

**He pulled a pen from his coat pocket and handed it to me. It was an ordinary disposable ballpoint, black ink, removable cap. Probably cost thirty cents. **

Said pen was in Percy's hand, "Saved me a million times" he says

"And more" FP adds.

**"Gee, " I said. "Thanks. "**

**"Percy, that's a gift from your father. I've kept it for years, not knowing you were who I was waiting for. But the prophecy is clear to me now. You are the one. "**

**I remembered the field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, when I'd vaporized Mrs. Dodds. Chiron had thrown me a pen that turned into a sword. Could this be ... ?**

**I took off the cap, and the pen grew longer and heavier in my hand. In half a second, I held a shimmering bronze sword with a double-edged blade, a leather-wrapped grip, and a flat hilt riveted with gold studs. It was the first weapon that actually felt balanced in my hand. **

"Of course it was. It was for you" Grover says.

**"The sword has a long and tragic history that we need not go into, " Chiron told me. **

"Zoe" Percy says.

**"Its name is Anaklusmos. "**

**"'Riptide, '" I translated, surprised the Ancient Greek came so easily. **

" You are so-"

"I get it, Thalia"

**"Use it only for emergencies, " Chiron said, "and only against monsters. No hero should harm mortals unless absolutely necessary, of course, but this sword wouldn't harm them in any case. "**

**I looked at the wickedly sharp blade. "What do you mean it wouldn't harm mortals? How could it not?"**

**"The sword is celestial bronze. Forged by the Cyclopes, tempered in the heart of Mount Etna, cooled in the River Lethe. It's deadly to monsters, to any creature from the Underworld, provided they don't kill you first. **

"That's encouraging" Zia says

**But the blade will pass through mortals like an illusion. They simply are not important enough for the blade to kill. **

"Hey!" Carter, Zia and I exclaim.

"Why are you complaining? At least you won't die" Uncle Amos says.

**And I should warn you: as a demigod, you can be killed by either ****celestial or normal weapons. You are twice as vulnerable. " **

"That sucks" I say

"Yep"

**"Good to know. "**

**"Now recap the pen. "**

**I touched the pen cap to the sword tip and instantly Riptide shrank to a ballpoint pen again. I tucked it in my pocket, a little nervous, because I was famous for losing pens at school. **

"I feel you, bro" I say, "I can lose 10 pens in a week"

"That's a new record. Last I checked, you only lost 5" Carter says

**"You can't, " Chiron said. **

"Can't what?"

**"Can't what?" **

"Agh! I'm corrupted!"

"Shut up, Thalia"

**"Lose the pen, " he said. "It is enchanted. It will always reappear in your pocket. Try it. "**

**I was wary, but I threw the pen as far as I could down the hill and watched it disappear in the grass.**

**"It may take a few moments, " Chiron told me. "Now check your pocket. "**

**Sure enough, the pen was there. **

"Magic" Nico says

**"Okay, that's extremely cool, " I admitted. "But what if a mortal sees me pulling out a sword?"**

**Chiron smiled. "Mist is a powerful thing, Percy. "**

**"Mist?"**

**"Yes. Read The Iliad. **

"Did he really expect you to read?" Bast says

"He has high expectations" FP says

**It's full of references to the stuff. Whenever divine or monstrous elements mix with the mortal world, they generate Mist, which obscures the vision of humans. You will see things just as they are, being a ****half-blood, but humans will interpret things quite differently. Remarkable, really, the lengths to which humans will go to fit things into their version of reality. " **

"Like Typhon being a storm" Annabeth says

"That was Typhon?" Carter says.

**I put Riptide back in my pocket.**

**For the first time, the quest felt real. I was actually leaving Half-Blood Hill. I was heading west with no adult supervision, no backup plan, not even a cell phone. (Chiron said cell phones were traceable by monsters; if we used one, it would be worse than sending up a flare. ) I had no weapon stronger than a sword to fight off monsters and reach the Land of the Dead.**

**"Chiron ... " I said. "When you say the gods are immortal... I mean, there was a time before them, right?" **

"A very dark time" Anubis says

**"Four ages before them, actually. The Time of the Titans was the Fourth Age, sometimes called the Golden Age, which is definitely a misnomer. This, the time of Western civilization and the rule of Zeus, is the Fifth Age. "**

**"So what was it like ... Before the gods?"**

**Chiron pursed his lips. "Even I am not old enough to remember that, child, but I know it was a time of darkness and savagery for mortals. Kronos, the lord of the Titans, called his reign the Golden Age because men lived innocent and free of all knowledge. But that was mere propaganda. The Titan king cared nothing for your kind except as appetizers or a source of cheap entertainment. **

"Hey!"

**It was only in the early reign of Lord Zeus, when Prometheus the good Titan brought fire to mankind, that your species began to progress, and even then Prometheus was branded a radical thinker. Zeus punished him severely, as you may recall. Of course, eventually the gods warmed to humans, and Western civilization was born. "**

**"But the gods can't die now, right? I mean, as long as Western civilization is alive, they're alive. So ... Even if I failed, nothing could happen so bad it would mess up every-thing, right?"**

**Chiron gave me a melancholy smile. "No one knows how long the ****Age of the West will last, Percy. The gods are immortal, yes. But then, so were the Titans. They still exist, locked away in their various prisons, forced to endure end-less pain and punishment, reduced in power, but still very much alive. May the Fates forbid that the gods should ever suffer such a doom, or that we should ever return to the darkness and chaos of the past. All we can do, child, is follow our destiny. "**

**"Our destiny ... Assuming we know what that is. "**

**"Relax, " Chiron told me. "Keep a clear head. And remember, you may be about to prevent the biggest war in human history. " **

"And you did"

**"Relax, " I said. "I'm very relaxed. " **

"You are not fooling anyone"

**When I got to the bottom of the hill, I looked back. Under the pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus, Chiron was now standing in full horse-man form, holding his ****bow high in salute. Just your typical summer-camp send-off by your typical centaur. **

"Now that you put it that way, it's seems very normal" Carter says

**Argus drove us out of the countryside and into western Long Island. It felt weird to be on a highway again, Annabeth and Grover sitting next to me as if we were normal carpoolers. After two weeks at Half-Blood Hill, the real world seemed like a fantasy. I found myself staring at every McDonald's, every kid in the back of his parents' car, every billboard and shopping mall.**

**"So far so good, " I told Annabeth. "Ten miles and not a single monster. " **

"And you jinxed it" Thalia says

**She gave me an irritated look. "It's bad luck to talk that way, seaweed brain. " **

"Thus, the start of the permanent nickname" Percy says

**"Remind me again-why do you hate me so much?" **

"The more you hate, the more you love" I smile

**"I don't hate you. "**

**"Could've fooled me. "**

**She folded her cap of invisibility. "Look ... We're just not supposed to get along, okay? Our parents are rivals. "**

**"Why?"**

**She sighed. "How many reasons do you want? One time my mom caught Poseidon with his girlfriend in Athena's temple, which is hugely disrespectful. Another time, Athena and Poseidon competed to be the patron god for the city of Athens. Your dad created some stupid saltwater spring for his gift. My mom created the olive tree. The people saw that her gift was better, so they named the city after her. "**

**"They must really like olives. "**

**"Oh, forget it. "**

**"Now, if she'd invented pizza-that I could understand. " **

Everybody laughs at Percy's comment.

**"I said, forget it!"**

**In the front seat, Argus smiled. He didn't say anything, but one blue eye on the back of his neck winked at me. **

"While both of you were releasing sexual tension, all of us in camp knew you were going to end up together, even Argus and Chiron." Grover says

"What? No" Percy says

"Haven't you notice, Seaweed Brain. None of the girls at camp tried to hit on you 'cause they knew Aphrodite was up to something" Thalia says

Nico nods, "Yeah, even I was ten and new, I can see what they were doing. Remember back then when I asked if Annabeth was your girlfriend?"

Percy and FP blushes.

**Traffic slowed us down in Queens. By the time we got into Manhattan it was sunset and starting to rain.**

**Argus dropped us at the Greyhound Station on the Upper East Side, not far from my mom and Gabe's apartment. Taped to a mailbox was a soggy flyer with my picture on it: HAVE YOU SEEN THIS BOY?**

**I ripped it down before Annabeth and Grover could notice. **

"We noticed" Annabeth and Grover says.

"Gee, my life is getting better already" Percy mutters.

FP pats Percy on the back, "Don't worry man, it'll get worse" he says.

**Argus unloaded our bags, made sure we got our bus tickets, then drove away, the eye on the back of his hand opening to watch us as he pulled out of the parking lot.**

**I thought about how close I was to my old apartment. On a normal day, my mom would be home from the candy store by now. Smelly Gabe was probably up there right now, playing poker, not even missing her.**

**Grover shouldered his backpack. He gazed down the street in the direction I was looking. "You want to know why she married him, Percy?"**

**I stared at him. "Were you reading my mind or something?"**

**"Just your emotions. " He shrugged. "Guess I forgot to tell you satyrs can do that. You were thinking about your mom and your stepdad, right?"**

**I nodded, wondering what else Grover might've forgotten to tell me.**

**"Your mom married Gabe for you, " Grover told me. "You call him 'Smelly, ' but you've got no idea. The guy has this aura... Yuck. I can smell him from here. I can smell traces of him on you, and you haven't been near him for a week. "**

**"Thanks, " I said. "Where's the nearest shower?" **

"Ah, sweet sarcasm"

**"You should be grateful, Percy. Your stepfather smells so repulsively human he could mask the presence of any demigod. As soon as I took a whiff inside his Camaro, I knew: Gabe has been covering your scent for years. If you hadn't lived with him every summer, you probably would've been found by monsters a long time ago. Your mom stayed with him to protect you. She was a smart lady. She must've loved you a lot to put up with that guy-if that makes you feel any better. " **

"Well, my respect for your mother grew" I say

FP pales, "Oh my gods, I forgot to IM Mom!"

FA turns to him, "She'll be worried sick!"

"What do you guys mean?" Percy says.

"Nothing" both of them says.

**It didn't, but I forced myself not to show it. I'll see her again, I thought. She isn't gone.**

**I wondered if Grover could still read my emotions, mixed up as they were. I ****was glad he and Annabeth were with me, but I felt guilty that I hadn't been straight with them. I hadn't told them the real reason I'd said yes to this crazy quest.**

**The truth was, I didn't care about retrieving Zeus's lightning bolt, or ****saving the world, or even helping my father out of trouble. The more I thought about it, I resented Poseidon for never visiting me, never helping my mom, never even sending a lousy child-support check. He'd only claimed me because he needed a job done.**

**All I cared about was my mom. Hades had taken her unfairly, and Hades was going to give her back. **

"You are too loyal. That is going to be the death of you" Bast says

**You will be betrayed by one who calls you a friend, the Oracle whispered in my mind. You will fail to save what matters most in the end.**

**Shut up, I told it. **

"You're shutting yourself up"

**The rain kept coming down.**

**We got restless waiting for the bus and decided to play some Hacky Sack with one of Grover's apples. Annabeth was unbelievable. She could bounce the apple off her knee, her elbow, her shoulder, whatever. I wasn't too bad myself. **

"Trying to impress Annabeth, I see" Zia says

**The game ended when I tossed the apple toward Grover and it got too close to his mouth. In one mega goat bite, our Hacky Sack disappeared-core, stem, and all.**

**Grover blushed. He tried to apologize, but Annabeth and I were too busy cracking up. **

The same situation was happening now.

**Finally the bus came. As we stood in line to board, Grover started looking around, sniffing the air like he smelled his favorite school cafeteria delicacy-enchiladas.**

**"What is it?" I asked.**

**"I don't know, " he said tensely. "Maybe it's nothing. "**

**But I could tell it wasn't nothing. I started looking over my shoulder, too.**

**I was relieved when we finally got on board and found seats together in the back of the bus. We stowed our back-packs. Annabeth kept slapping her Yankees cap nervously against her thigh. **

"Stupid ADHD" Annabeth mutters

**As the last passengers got on, Annabeth clamped her hand onto my knee. "Percy. "**

**An old lady had just boarded the bus. She wore a crumpled velvet dress, lace gloves, and a shapeless orange-knit hat that shadowed her face, and she carried a big paisley purse. When she tilted her head up, her black eyes glittered, and my heart skipped a beat.**

**It was Mrs. Dodds. Older, more withered, but definitely the same ****evil face. **

"Oh great, your first monster is a Fury" Nico says, "and it's the math teacher"

**I scrunched down in my seat.**

**Behind her came two more old ladies: one in a green hat, one in a purple hat. Otherwise they looked exactly like Mrs. Dodds-same gnarled hands, paisley handbags, wrinkled velvet dresses. Triplet demon grandmothers. **

"I thought the harpies were the demon grandmothers?" Nico says

"No, they were the _demonic_ chicken grandmothers, not demon grandmothers" Percy says

"Not all harpies are bad, you know" FP says, "Tyson like one harpy"

"Yeah. Ella" FA says.

"Tyson has a crush?" Percy says, "My little brother is growing. I'm so proud" he smiles.

**They sat in the front row, right behind the driver. The two on the aisle crossed their legs over the walkway, making an X. It was casual enough, but it sent a clear message: nobody leaves.**

**The bus pulled out of the station, and we headed through the slick streets of Manhattan. "She didn't stay dead long, " I said, trying to keep my voice from quivering. "I thought you said they could be dispelled for a lifetime. "**

**"I said if you're lucky, " Annabeth said. "You're obviously not. " **

"Percy? Lucky? Then I'm a cricket" Carter says

**"All three of them, " Grover whimpered. "Di immortales!"**

**"It's okay, " Annabeth said, obviously thinking hard. "The Furies. The three worst monsters from the Underworld. No problem. No problem. We'll just slip out the windows. " **

"I actually believe that that'll work" Zia says

**"They don't open, " Grover moaned.**

**"A back exit?" she suggested.**

**There wasn't one. Even if there had been, it wouldn't have helped. By that time, we were on Ninth Avenue, heading for the Lincoln Tunnel. **

"Too bad it's covered in poison ivy, now" Percy says

**"They won't attack us with witnesses around, " I said. "Will they?"**

**"Mortals don't have good eyes, " Annabeth reminded me. "Their brains can only process what they see through the Mist. "**

**"They'll see three old ladies killing us, won't they?" **

"I think I'll prefer letting them see me getting attacked by a demonic monster than 3 old ladies" I say

**She thought about it. "Hard to say. But we can't count on mortals for help. Maybe an emergency exit in the roof ... ?"**

**We hit the Lincoln Tunnel, and the bus went dark except for the running lights down the aisle. It was eerily quiet without the sound of the rain.**

**Mrs. Dodds got up. In a flat voice, as if she'd rehearsed it, she announced to the whole bus: "I need to use the rest-room. "**

**"So do I, " said the second sister.**

**"So do I, " said the third sister. **

"Gross" Anubis says

**They all started coming down the aisle.**

**"I've got it, " Annabeth said. "Percy, take my hat. "**

**"What?"**

**"You're the one they want. Turn invisible and go up the aisle. Let them pass you. Maybe you can get to the front and get away. " **

"That was a smart idea, until Percy decided to do his thing" Thalia says

"My thing?"

"Disobey orders"

**"But you guys-"**

**"There's an outside chance they might not notice us, " Annabeth said. "You're a son of one of the Big Three. Your smell might be overpowering. "**

**"I can't just leave you. "**

**"Don't worry about us, " Grover said. "Go!"**

**My hands trembled. I felt like a coward, but I took the Yankees cap and put it ****on.**

**When I looked down, my body wasn't there anymore. **

"Of course, it's an invisibility cap" Grover says

**I started creeping up the aisle. I managed to get up ten rows, then duck into an empty seat just as the Furies walked past.**

**Mrs. Dodds stopped, sniffing, and looked straight at me. My heart was pounding.**

**Apparently she didn't see anything. She and her sisters kept going.**

**I was free. I made it to the front of the bus. We were almost through the Lincoln Tunnel now. I was about to press the emergency stop button when I heard hideous wailing from the back row.**

**The old ladies were not old ladies anymore. Their faces were still ****the same-I guess those couldn't get any uglier- but their bodies had shriveled into leathery brown hag bodies with bat's wings and hands and feet like gargoyle claws. Their handbags had turned into fiery whips.**

**The Furies surrounded Grover and Annabeth, lashing their whips, hissing: "Where is it? Where?" **

"_It?_"

**The other people on the bus were screaming, cowering in their seats. They saw something, all right.**

**"He's not here!" Annabeth yelled. "He's gone!"**

**The Furies raised their whips.**

**Annabeth drew her bronze knife. Grover grabbed a tin can from his snack bag and prepared to throw it.**

**What I did next was so impulsive and dangerous I should've been named ADHD poster child of the year. **

"Leo has that title" FP mutters, FA laughs at his comment.

The others had no idea what they were talking about.

**The bus driver was distracted, trying to see what was going on in his rearview mirror.**

**Still invisible, I grabbed the wheel from him and jerked it to the left. Everybody howled as they were thrown to the right, and I heard what I hoped was the sound of three Furies smashing against the windows.**

**"Hey!" the driver yelled. "Hey-whoa!"**

**We wrestled for the wheel. The bus slammed against the side of the tunnel, grinding metal, throwing sparks a mile behind us.**

**We careened out of the Lincoln Tunnel and back into the rainstorm, people and monsters tossed around the bus, cars plowed aside like ****bowling pins.**

**Somehow the driver found an exit. We shot off the highway, through half a dozen traffic lights, and ended up barreling down one of those New Jersey rural roads where you can't believe there's so much nothing right across the river from New York. There were woods to our left, the Hudson River to our right, and the driver seemed to be veering toward the river.**

**Another great idea: I hit the emergency brake. **

"Yep, a great idea"

**The bus wailed, spun a full circle on the wet asphalt, and crashed into the trees. The emergency lights came on. The door flew open. The bus driver was the first one out, the passengers yelling as they stampeded after him. I stepped into the driver's seat and let them pass.**

**The Furies regained their balance. They lashed their whips at Annabeth while she waved her knife and yelled in Ancient Greek, telling them to back off. Grover ****threw tin cans.**

**I looked at the open doorway. I was free to go, but I couldn't leave my friends. I took off the invisible cap. "Hey!" **

Thalia facepalms, "Typical Percy"

"Don't tell me you wouldn't have done the same" Percy says

**The Furies turned, baring their yellow fangs at me, and the exit suddenly seemed like an excellent idea. Mrs. Dodds stalked up the aisle, just as she used to do in class, about to deliver my F- math test. Every time she flicked her whip, red flames danced along the barbed leather.**

**Her two ugly sisters hopped on top of the seats on either ****side of her and crawled toward me like huge nasty lizards.**

**"Perseus Jackson, " Mrs. Dodds said, in an accent that was definitely from somewhere farther south than Georgia. "You have offended the gods. You shall die. "**

**"I liked you better as a math teacher, " I told her. **

"Me too" I say

**She growled.**

**Annabeth and Grover moved up behind the Furies cautiously, looking for an opening.**

**I took the ballpoint pen out of my pocket and un-capped it. Riptide elongated into a shimmering double- edged sword.**

**The Furies hesitated.**

**Mrs. Dodds had felt Riptide's blade before. She obviously didn't like seeing it again.**

**"Submit now, " she hissed. "And you will not suffer eternal torment. "**

**"Nice try, " I told her.**

**"Percy, look out!" Annabeth cried.**

**Mrs. Dodds lashed her whip around my sword hand while the Furies on the either side lunged at me.**

**My hand felt like it was wrapped in molten lead, but I managed not to drop Riptide. I stuck the Fury on the left with its hilt, sending her toppling backward into a seat. I turned and sliced the Fury on the right. As soon as the blade connected with her neck, she screamed and exploded into dust. Annabeth got Mrs. Dodds in a wrestler's hold and yanked her backward while Grover ripped the whip out of her hands.**

**"Ow!" he yelled. "Ow! Hot! Hot!" **

"No, really? I thought a burning whip was cold?" Zia says

**The Fury I'd hilt-slammed came at me again, talons ready, but I swung Riptide ****and she broke open like a pinata.**

**Mrs. Dodds was trying to get Annabeth off her back. She kicked, clawed, hissed and bit, but Annabeth held on while Grover got Mrs. Dodds's legs tied up in her own whip. Finally they both shoved her backward into the aisle. Mrs. Dodds tried to get up, but she didn't have room to flap her bat wings, so she kept falling down.**

**"Zeus will destroy you!" she promised. "Hades will have your soul!"**

**"Braccas meas vescimini!" I yelled.**

**I wasn't sure where the Latin came from. I think it meant "Eat my pants!" **

Everybody laughs again.

**Thunder shook the bus. The hair rose on the back of my neck.**

**"Get out!" Annabeth yelled at me. "Now!" I didn't need any encouragement.**

**We rushed outside and found the other passengers wan-dering around in a daze, arguing with the driver, or running around in circles yelling, "We're going to die!" A Hawaiian-shirted tourist with a camera snapped my photograph before I could recap my sword.**

**"Our bags!" Grover realized. "We left our-"**

**BOOOOOM!**

**The windows of the bus exploded as the passengers ran for cover. Lightning shredded a huge crater in the roof, but an angry wail from inside told me Mrs. Dodds was not yet dead.**

**"Run!" Annabeth said. "She's calling for reinforcements! We have to get out of here!" **

"Since when did you speak Fury?" Thalia asks

**We plunged into the woods as the rain poured down, the bus in flames behind ****us, and nothing but darkness ahead. **

"Well, that was dramatic" Zia says.

Nico closes the book, "I'm hungry"

* * *

**A/N: Lookie! I updated!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/n: I know I haven't updated for a VERY long time. I'm sorry. The internet is VERY slow.  
**

**And that's not the only reason. (Which would be explained at the end of the story)**

**This disclaimer would be for the whole story, just so I would have to keep on repeating myself: I DON'T OWN PJO OR KC! I'M NO RICK RIORDAN**

* * *

**Percy's POV**"

Future Me stood up, "Yeah, I'm hungry also"

Future Annabeth rolled her eyes, "Of course you're hungry, Seaweed Brain. Did you even count how many days we were-"

She stopped talking.

She disappeared.

Also Future Me.

Sadie gasped, "Bloody- Is that a note?" she points at a piece of paper at the place where the two had disappeared. Anubis went over and picked it up.

"_Everybody_" he read, "_The Fates had decreed that they are neede__d...somewhere. Happy reading, or eating, whichever comes first. Love, Apollo" _

"Somewhere?" Annabeth said, "Don't tell me that we have to go in a another quest that may lead to the end of the world!"

"Considering what you guys have been through in the books, I'll have to say yes" Amos said.

Nico stood up, "I don't know about you guys, but I'm gonna eat" he said and headed towards the kitchen.

Zia turned to us, "We'll have 2 more chapters after dinner, then we'll go to bed". We nod at her plan.

* * *

"I now know why you always order ham and cheese, and not anchovies" Thalia muttered, rubbing her head.

"I'm sorry, okay!" I said, "It's not my fault that I reacted when I saw James' body being turned into a topping"

"James?" Carter raised an eyebrow.

"The name of the anchovy in Percy's pizza" Grover explained, "He was one of the fishes that resided in Long Island Sound"

Thalia smirked, "was"

"Let's get back to the story now" Bast said and takes the book.

**"WE VISIT THE GARDEN GNOME EMPORIUM"** she reads.

As if on cue, Grover, Annabeth and I groaned.

"Out of all the chapters" Annabeth muttered

**In a way, it's nice to know there are Greek gods out there, because you have somebody to blame when things go wrong. **

"Yep" the demigods in the room said

**For instance, when you're walking away from a bus that's just been attacked by monster hags and blown up by lightning, and it's raining on top of everything else, most people might think that's just really bad luck; when you're a half-blood, you understand that some divine force really is trying to mess up your day.  
**

"For me, it's her Hardheadedness Hera" Annabeth said.

"Same" Thalia said.

"Mine's Persephone" Nico said

"At least you guys ave at least one. I have the whole Greek mythological world after me" I said

**So there we were, Annabeth and Grover and I, walking through the woods along the New Jersey riverbank, the glow of New York City making the night sky yellow behind us, and the smell of the Hudson reeking in our noses.**

**Grover was shivering and braying, his big goat eyes turned slit-pupiled and full of terror. "Three Kindly Ones. All three at once. "**

**I was pretty much in shock myself. The explosion of bus windows still rang in my ears. But Annabeth kept pulling us along, saying: "Come on! The farther away we get, the better. "  
**

"Better move along then stay back"

**"All our money was back there, " I reminded her. "Our food and clothes. Everything. "**

**"Well, maybe if you hadn't decided to jump into the fight-"**

**"What did you want me to do? Let you get killed?"  
**

"Good point"

**"You didn't need to protect me, Percy. I would've been fine. "**

**"Sliced like sandwich bread, " Grover put in, "but fine. "**

**"Shut up, goat boy, " said Annabeth.**

**Grover brayed mournfully. "Tin cans ... A perfectly good bag of tin cans. "**

**We sloshed across mushy ground, through nasty twisted trees that smelled like sour laundry.**

**After a few minutes, Annabeth fell into line next to me. "Look, I... " Her voice faltered. "I appreciate your coming back for us, okay? That was really brave. "**

**"We're a team, right?"**

**She was silent for a few more steps. "It's just that if you died ... Aside from the fact that it would really suck for you, it would mean the quest was over. This may be my only chance to see the real world. "  
**

"I was used as a ticket" I said

"Oh, don't tell me you didn't enjoy it" Annabeth smiled at me.

I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her head, "I enjoyed every minute of it"

**The thunderstorm had finally let up. The city glow faded behind us, leaving us in almost total darkness. I couldn't see anything of Annabeth except a glint of her blond hair.**

**"You haven't left Camp Half-Blood since you were seven?" I asked her.**

**"No ... Only short field trips. My dad-"**

**"The history professor. "  
**

"I was actually surprised that you remembered it" Annabeth said.

**"Yeah. It didn't work out for me living at home. I mean, Camp Half-Blood is my home. " She was rushing her words out now, as if she were afraid somebody might try to stop her. "At camp you train and train. And that's all cool and everything, but the real world is where the monsters are. That's where you learn whether you're any good or not. "  
**

"It's like the training are the lessons and the real world is the exam" Sadie says.

"Yep, and nobody wants to fail in that exam" Thalia mutters

Nico perks up "Hey, I just realized something"

"What"

"Percy passed an exam!" He grins. I bitch-slapped him into silence.

**If I didn't know better, I could've sworn I heard doubt in her voice.**

**"You're pretty good with that knife, " I said. **

"Aww, you're complementing her skills" Sadie swoons, then stops "What did I just-"

"Back to the story"

**"You think so?"**

**"Anybody who can piggyback-ride a Fury is okay by me. "**

**I couldn't really see, but I thought she might've smiled. **

"I did" Annabeth whispered

**"You know, " she said, "maybe I should tell you ... Something funny back on the bus ... "**

**Whatever she wanted to say was interrupted by a shrill toot-toot-toot, like the sound of an owl being tortured.**

**"Hey, my reed pipes still work!" Grover cried. "If I could just remember a 'find path' song, we could get out of these woods!"**

**He puffed out a few notes, but the tune still sounded suspiciously like Hilary Duff.  
**

Grover sent a half-hearted glare to me, and I replied with a smile

**Instead of finding a path, I immediately slammed into a tree and got a nice-size knot on my head.**

**Add to the list of superpowers I did not have: infrared vision. **

"Do you really need that super power?" Thalia says

**After tripping and cursing and generally feeling miserable for another mile or so, I started to see light up ahead **

"Don't go into the light" Thalia exclaims dramatically

**: the colors of a neon sign. **

"Oh"

**I could smell food. Fried, greasy, excellent food. **

"I'm hungry again" Nico says

"But you just ate" Zia replies

"Hey, I'm a growing boy"

**I realized I hadn't eaten anything unhealthy since I'd arrived at Half-Blood Hill, where we lived on grapes, bread, cheese, and extra-lean-cut nymph-prepared barbecue. This boy needed a double cheeseburger. **

"Your mom would have a fit if she reads this" Annabeth says

"Hey, at least I can burn it off" I shrug

"Literally" Grover smiles, "Climbing wall, remember?"

**We kept walking until I saw a deserted two-lane road through the trees. On the other side was a closed- down gas station, a tattered billboard for a 1990s movie, and one open business, which was the source of the neon light and the good smell.**

**It wasn't a fast-food restaurant like I'd hoped. It was one of those weird roadside curio shops that sell lawn flamingos and wooden Indians and cement grizzly bears and stuff like that. The main building was a long, low warehouse, surrounded by acres of statuary. The neon sign above the gate was impossible for me to read, because if there's anything worse for my dyslexia than regular English, it's red cursive neon English. **

Cue groans

**To me, it looked like: ATNYU MES GDERAN GOMEN MEPROUIM. **

"That settles it, among us, Percy has the best eyesight" Thalia throws her hands in the air in frustration

"Yeah, at least the letters stay in the word" Nico says, "The first time I read 'McDonald's drive thru', it was 'Dov'eMthia drruc nlds' "

**"What the heck does that say?" I asked.**

**"I don't know, " Annabeth said.**

**She loved reading so much, I'd forgotten she was dyslexic, too.**

**Grover translated: "Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium. " **

"At that time, I actually felt special" Grover says

**Flanking the entrance, as advertised, were two cement garden gnomes, ugly bearded little runts, smiling and waving, as if they were about to get their picture taken.**

**I crossed the street, following the smell of the hamburgers.**

**"Hey ... " Grover warned.**

**"The lights are on inside, " Annabeth said. "Maybe it's open. "**

**"Snack bar, " I said wistfully.**

**"Snack bar, " she agreed.**

**"Are you two crazy?" Grover said. "This place is weird. "**

**We ignored him. **

Grover dramatically clutch his chest, "That hurt man, right here, man" he pointed at his chest

"Wrong side, Grover" Carter smiles

**The front lot was a forest of statues: cement animals, cement children, even a cement satyr playing the pipes, which gave Grover the creeps.**

**"Bla-ha-ha!" he bleated. "Looks like my Uncle Ferdinand!" **

Grover shivered

**We stopped at the warehouse door.**

**"Don't knock, " Grover pleaded. "I smell monsters. "**

**"Your nose is clogged up from the Furies, " Annabeth told him. "All I smell is burgers. Aren't you hungry?"**

**"Meat!" he said scornfully. "I'm a vegetarian. "**

**"You eat cheese enchiladas and aluminum cans, " I reminded him.**

**"Those are vegetables. **

"They are?" Zia asks

"I am learning new things every minute" Anubis says

** Come on. Let's leave. These stat-ues are ... Looking at ****me. " **

"I hate it when it does that"

**Then the door creaked open, and standing in front of us was a tall Middle Eastern woman-at least, I assumed she was Middle Eastern, because she wore a long black gown that covered everything but her hands, and her head was completely veiled. Her eyes glinted behind a curtain of black gauze, but that was about all I could make out. Her coffee-colored hands looked old, but well-manicured and elegant, so I imagined she was a grandmother who had once been a beautiful lady. **

Anubis' eyebrows rose, then went back down.

**Her accent sounded vaguely Middle Eastern, too. She said, "Children, it is too late to be out all alone. Where are your parents?"**

**"They're ... Um ... " Annabeth started to say.**

**"We're orphans, " I said. **

"That was actually quick thinking. I'm proud, Percy" Annabeth laughs

**"Orphans?" the woman said. The word sounded alien in her mouth. "But, my ****dears! Surely not!"**

**"We got separated from our caravan, " I said. "Our circus caravan. **

Carter facepalms

**The ringmaster told us to meet him at the gas station if we got lost, but he may have forgotten, or maybe he meant a different gas station. Anyway, we're lost. Is that food I smell?" **

"Way to be direct" Sadie says

**"Oh, my dears, " the woman said. "You must come in, poor children. I am Aunty Em. Go straight through to the back of the warehouse, please. There is a dining area. "**

**We thanked her and went inside.**

**Annabeth muttered to me, "Circus caravan?"**

**"Always have a strategy, right?"**

**"Your head is full of kelp. " **

"And here comes the sexual tension that we all felt and hated" Thalia says

**The warehouse was filled with more statues-people in all different poses, wearing all different outfits and with different expressions on their faces. I was thinking you'd have to have a pretty huge garden to fit even one of these statues, because they were all life-size. But mostly, I was thinking about food. **

"Is there anything else you think about?" Nico says

"Yeah, Annabeth, Blue cookies and the sea" Grover answers

**Go ahead, call me an idiot for walking into a strange lady's shop like that just because I was hungry, **

"Idiot"

"Thanks guys, I feel so loved"

**but I do impulsive stuff sometimes. Plus, you've never smelled Aunty Em's burgers. The aroma was like laughing gas in the dentist's chair-it made everything else go away. I barely noticed Grover's nervous whimpers, or the way the statues' eyes seemed to follow me, or the fact that Aunty Em had locked the door behind us. **

"You _barely_ noticed it?"

**All I cared about was finding the dining area. And sure enough, there it was at the back of the warehouse, a fast-food counter with a grill, a soda fountain, a pretzel heater, and a nacho cheese dispenser. Everything you could ****want, plus a few steel picnic tables out front.**

**"Please, sit down, " Aunty Em said.**

**"Awesome, " I said.**

**"Um, " Grover said reluctantly, "we don't have any money, ma'am. "**

**Before I could jab him in the ribs, **

Grover's eyes went wide

** Aunty Em said, "No, no, children. No money. This is a special case, yes? It is my treat, for such nice orphans. "**

**"Thank you, ma'am, " Annabeth said.**

**Aunty Em stiffened, as if Annabeth had done some-thing wrong, but then the old woman relaxed just as quickly, so I figured it must've been my imagination. **

_She seems so familiar, _Anubis thought

**"Quite all right, Annabeth, " she said. "You have such beautiful gray eyes, ****child. " Only later did I wonder how she knew Annabeth's name, even though we had never introduced ourselves. **

"Dun dun dun"

**Our hostess disappeared behind the snack counter and started cooking. Before we knew it, she'd brought us plastic trays heaped with double cheeseburgers, vanilla shakes, and XXL servings of French fries.**

**I was halfway through my burger before I remembered to breathe. **

Everybody laughed

**Annabeth slurped her shake.**

**Grover picked at the fries, and eyed the tray's waxed paper liner as if he might go for that, but he still looked too nervous to eat.**

**"What's that hissing noise?" he asked.**

**I listened, but didn't hear anything. Annabeth shook her head.**

**"Hissing?" Aunty Em asked. "Perhaps you hear the deep-fryer oil. You have keen ears, Grover. "**

**"I take vitamins. For my ears. " **

"There are vitamins for that?" Sadie says

"Why? Do you need some? 'Cause you really have trouble listening to my orders" Carter says

"I'm a big girl, I can do what I want" Sadie says

**"That's admirable, " she said. "But please, relax. "**

**Aunty Em ate nothing. She hadn't taken off her head-dress, even to cook, and now she sat forward and interlaced her fingers and watched us eat. It was a little unsettling, having someone stare at me when I couldn't see her face, but I was feeling satisfied after the burger, and a little sleepy, and I figured the least I could do was try to make small talk with our hostess.**

**"So, you sell gnomes, " I said, trying to sound interested. **

"trying" Annabeth said

**"Oh, yes, " Aunty Em said. "And animals. And people. Anything for the garden. Custom orders. Statuary is very popular, you know. "**

**"A lot of business on this road?"**

**"Not so much, no. Since the highway was built... Most cars, they do not go this way now. I must cherish every customer I get. "**

**My neck tingled, as if somebody else was looking at me. I turned, but it was just a statue of a young girl holding an Easter basket. The detail was incredible, much better than you see in most garden statues. But something was wrong with her face. It looked as if she were startled, or even terrified.**

**"Ah, " Aunty Em said sadly. "You notice some of my creations do not turn out well. They are marred. They do not sell. The face is the hardest to get right. Always the face. "**

**"You make these statues yourself?" I asked.**

**"Oh, yes. Once upon a time, I had two sisters to help me in the business, but ****they have passed on, and Aunty Em is alone. I have only my statues. This is why I make them, you see. They are my company. " The sadness in her voice sounded so deep and so real that I couldn't help feeling sorry for her. **

_Oh shit, _Anubis thought

**Annabeth had stopped eating. She sat forward and said, "Two sisters?"**

**"It's a terrible story, " Aunty Em said. "Not one for children, really. You see, Annabeth, a bad woman was jealous of me, long ago, when I was young. I had a... A boyfriend, you know, and this bad woman was determined to break us apart. She caused a terrible accident. My sisters stayed by me. They shared my bad fortune as long as they could, but eventually they passed on. They faded away. I alone have survived, but at a price. Such a price. " **

"Fuckin' shit" Anubis muttered. His face read _I know who this woman is and you are all supposed to be dead or dying_

I sent him a glance, nodding. "It's her" I mouth.

**I wasn't sure what she meant, but I felt bad for her. My eyelids kept getting heavier, my full stomach making me sleepy. Poor old lady. Who would want to hurt somebody so nice?**

**"Percy?" Annabeth was shaking me to get my attention. "Maybe we should go. I mean, the ringmaster will be waiting. "**

**She sounded tense. I wasn't sure why. Grover was eating the waxed paper off the tray now, but if Aunty Em found that strange, she didn't say anything.**

**"Such beautiful gray eyes, " Aunty Em told Annabeth again. "My, yes, it has been a long time since I've seen gray eyes like those. "**

**She reached out as if to stroke Annabeth's cheek, but Annabeth stood up abruptly.**

**"We really should go. "**

**"Yes!" Grover swallowed his waxed paper and stood up. "The ringmaster is waiting! Right!"**

**I didn't ****want to leave. I felt full and content. Aunty Em was so nice. I wanted to stay with her a while. **

"Boys. They are so easily tempted" Zia says

The boys- ahem _men_- objected.

**"Please, dears, " Aunty Em pleaded. "I so rarely get to be with children. Before you go, won't you at least sit for a pose?"**

**"A pose?" Annabeth asked warily.**

**"A photograph. I will use it to model a new statue set. Children are so popular, you see. Everyone loves children. "**

**Annabeth shifted her weight from foot to foot. "I don't think we can, ma'am. Come on, Percy-"**

**"Sure we can, " I said. I was irritated with Annabeth for being so bossy, so rude ****to an old lady who'd just fed us for free. "It's just a photo, Annabeth. What's the harm?"**

** "Yes, Annabeth, " the woman purred. "No harm. "**

**I could tell Annabeth didn't like it, but she allowed Aunty Em to lead us back out the front door, into the garden of statues.**

**Aunty Em directed us to a park bench next to the stone satyr. "Now, " she said, "I'll just position you correctly. The young girl in the middle, I think, and the two young gentlemen on either side. " **

"More like the satyr on the left and the hypnotized boy on the right" Annabeth mutters

**"Not much light for a photo, " I remarked.**

**"Oh, enough, " Aunty Em said. "Enough for us to see each other, yes?"**

**"Where's your camera?" Grover asked. **

"Finally! Somebody voiced out my thoughts!" Sadie says

**Aunty Em stepped back, as if to admire the shot. "Now, the face is the most difficult. Can you smile for me please, everyone? A large smile?"**

**Grover glanced at the cement satyr next to him, and mumbled, "That sure does look like Uncle Ferdinand. "**

**"Grover, " Aunty Em chastised, "look this way, dear. "**

**She still had no camera in her hands.**

**"Percy-" Annabeth said.**

**Some instinct warned me to listen to Annabeth, but I was fighting the sleepy feeling, the comfortable lull that came from the food and the old lady's voice.**

**"I will just be a moment, " Aunty Em said. "You know, I can't see you very well ****in this cursed veil... "**

**"Percy, something's wrong, " Annabeth insisted.**

**"Wrong?" Aunty Em said, reaching up to undo the wrap around her head. "Not at all, dear. I have such noble company tonight. What could be wrong?"**

**"That is Uncle Ferdinand!" Grover gasped.**

**"Look away from her!" Annabeth shouted. She whipped her Yankees cap onto her head and vanished. Her invisible hands pushed Grover and me both off the bench.**

**I was on the ground, looking at Aunt Em's sandaled feet.**

**I could hear Grover scrambling off in one direction, Annabeth in another. But I was too dazed to move.**

**Then I heard a strange, rasping sound above me. My eyes rose to Aunty Em's hands, which had turned gnarled and warty, with sharp bronze talons for fingernails. **

"Ooh, you are in TROUBLE" Nico says

**I almost looked higher, but somewhere off to my left Annabeth screamed, "No! Don't!" **

"Annabeth to the rescue" Carter says

"As usual" Annabeth said

**More rasping-the sound of tiny snakes, right above me, from ... From about where Aunty Em's head would be.**

**"Run!" Grover bleated. I heard him racing across the gravel, yelling, "Maia!" to kick-start his flying sneakers.**

**I couldn't move. I stared at Aunty Em's gnarled claws, and tried to fight the groggy trance the old woman had put me in.**

**"Such a pity to destroy a handsome young face, " she told me soothingly. "Stay with me, Percy. All you have to do is look up. "**

**I fought the urge to obey. Instead I looked to one side and saw one of those glass spheres people put in gardens- a gazing ball. I could see Aunty Em's dark reflection in the orange glass; her headdress was gone, revealing her face as a shimmering pale circle. Her hair was moving, writhing like serpents.**

**Aunty Em.**

**Aunty "M. "**

**How could I have been so stupid? **

"Don't answer the question" I say to all of them

**Think, I told myself. How did Medusa die in the myth? **

"From the hands of another Perseus"

**But I couldn't think. Something told me that in the myth Medusa had been asleep when she was attacked by my namesake, Perseus. She wasn't anywhere near asleep now. If she wanted, she could take those talons right now and rake open my face.**

**"The Gray-Eyed One did this to me, Percy, " Medusa said, and she didn't sound anything like a monster. Her voice invited me to look up, to sympathize with a poor old grandmother. "Annabeth's mother, the cursed Athena, turned me from a beautiful woman into this. "**

**"Don't listen to her!" Annabeth's voice shouted, some-where in the statuary. "Run, Percy!"**

**"Silence!" Medusa snarled. Then her voice modulated back to a comforting purr. "You see why I must destroy the girl, Percy. She is my enemy's daughter. I shall crush her statue to dust. But you, dear Percy, you need not suffer. "**

**"No, " I muttered. I tried to make my legs move.**

**"Do you really want to help the gods?" Medusa asked. "Do you understand what awaits you on this foolish quest, Percy? What will happen if you reach the Underworld? Do not be a pawn of the Olympians, my dear. You would be better off ****as a statue. Less pain. Less pain. " **

"Nope, I don't want to be a rock for the rest of my life" I say

**"Percy!" Behind me, I heard a buzzing sound, like a two-hundred-pound hummingbird in a nosedive. Grover yelled, "Duck!" **

**I turned, and there he was in the night sky, flying in from twelve o'clock with his winged shoes fluttering, Grover, holding a tree branch the size of a baseball bat. His eyes were shut tight, his head twitched from side to side. He was navigating by ears and nose alone.**

**"Duck!" he yelled again. "I'll get her!"**

**That finally jolted me into action. Knowing Grover, I was sure he'd miss Medusa and nail me. **

"Yup, feeling the love" Grover said

**I dove to one side.**

**Thwack!**

**At first I figured it was the sound of Grover hitting a tree. Then Medusa roared with rage.**

**"You miserable satyr, " she snarled. "I'll add you to my collection!"**

**"That was for Uncle Ferdinand!" Grover yelled back.**

**I scrambled away and hid in the statuary while Grover swooped down for another pass.**

**Ker-whack!**

**"Arrgh!" Medusa yelled, her snake-hair hissing and spitting.**

**Right next to me, Annabeth's voice said, "Percy!"**

**I jumped so high my feet nearly cleared a garden gnome. "Jeez! Don't do that!"**

**Annabeth took off her Yankees cap and became visible. 'You have to cut her head off. "**

**"What? Are you crazy? Let's get out of here. "**

**"Medusa is a menace. She's evil. I'd kill her myself, but... " Annabeth swallowed, as if she were about to make a difficult admission. "But you've got the better weapon. Besides, I'd never get close to her. She'd slice me to bits because of my mother. You-you've got a chance. "**

**"What? I can't-"**

**"Look, do you want her turning more innocent people into statues?"**

**She pointed to a pair of statue lovers, a man and a woman with their arms around each other, turned to stone by the monster. **

"Ooh, hitting the weak spot" Thalia says, "Nice plan, Annabeth"

**Annabeth grabbed a green gazing ball from a nearby pedestal. "A polished shield would be better. " She studied the sphere critically. "The convexity will cause some distortion. The reflection's size should be off by a factor of-" **

"I'm pretty sure Carter is the only person in this room who could understand what she was saying" Sadie says

**"Would you speak English?"**

**"I am!" She tossed me the glass ball. "Just look at her in the glass. Never look at her directly. " **

"You could've asked for a summary"

**"Hey, guys!" Grover yelled somewhere above us. "I think she's unconscious!"**

**"Roooaaarrr!"**

**"Maybe not, " Grover corrected. He went in for another pass with the tree branch.**

**"Hurry, " Annabeth told me. "Grover's got a great nose, but he'll eventually ****crash. "**

**I took out my pen and uncapped it. The bronze blade of Riptide elongated in my hand.**

**I followed the hissing and spitting sounds of Medusa's hair. **

"It must be hell to bathe with those kind of hair" Nico says

**I kept my eyes locked on the gazing ball so I would only glimpse Medusa's reflection, not the real thing. Then, in the green tinted glass, I saw her.**

**Grover was coming in for another turn at bat, but this time he flew a little too low. Medusa grabbed the stick and pulled him off course. He tumbled through the air and crashed into the arms of a stone grizzly bear with a painful "Ummphh!"**

**Medusa was about to lunge at him when I yelled, "Hey!"**

**I advanced on her, which wasn't easy, holding a sword and a glass ball. If she ****charged, I'd have a hard time defending myself.**

**But she let me approach-twenty feet, ten feet.**

**I could see the reflection of her face now. Surely it wasn't really that ugly. The green swirls of the gazing ball must be distorting it, making it look worse.**

**"You wouldn't harm an old woman, Percy, " she crooned. "I know you wouldn't. " **

"You're not old, you're ancient" Zia says

**I hesitated, fascinated by the face I saw reflected in the glass-the eyes that seemed to burn straight through the green tint, making my arms go weak.**

**From the cement grizzly, Grover moaned, "Percy, don't listen to her!"**

**Medusa cackled. "Too late. "**

**She lunged at me with her talons.**

**I slashed up with my sword, heard a sickening shlock!, then a hiss like wind rushing out of a cavern-the sound of a monster disintegrating.**

**Something fell to the ground next to my foot. It took all my willpower not to look. I could feel warm ooze soaking into my sock, little dying snake heads tugging at my shoelaces.**

**"Oh, yuck, " Grover said. His eyes were still tightly closed, but I guess he could hear the thing gurgling and steaming. "Mega-yuck. "**

**Annabeth came up next to me, her eyes fixed on the sky. She was holding Medusa's black veil. She said, "Don't move. "**

**Very, very carefully, without looking down, she knelt and draped the monster's head in black cloth, then picked it up. It was still dripping green juice.**

**"Are you okay?" she asked me, her voice trembling.**

**"Yeah, " I decided, though I felt like throwing up my double cheeseburger. "Why didn't ... Why didn't the head evaporate?"**

**"Once you sever it, it becomes a spoil of war, " she said. "Same as your minotaur horn. But don't unwrap the head. It can still petrify you. "**

**Grover moaned as he climbed down from the grizzly statue. He had a big welt on his forehead. His green rasta cap hung from one of his little goat horns, and his fake feet had been knocked off his hooves. The magic sneakers were flying aimlessly around his head.**

**"The Red Baron, " I said. "Good job, man. "**

**He managed a bashful grin. "That really was not fun, though. Well, the hitting-her-with-a-stick part, that was fun. But crashing into a concrete bear? Not fun. " **

"I agree with my younger self"

**He snatched his shoes out of the air. I recapped my sword. Together, the three of us stumbled back to the warehouse.**

**We found some old plastic grocery bags behind the snack counter and double-wrapped Medusa's head. We plopped it on the table where we'd eaten dinner and sat around it, too exhausted to speak.**

**Finally I said, "So we have Athena to thank for this monster?" **

Cue thunder

**Annabeth flashed me an irritated look. "Your dad, actually. Don't you remember? Medusa was Poseidon's girl-friend. They decided to meet in my mother's temple. That's why Athena turned her into a monster. Medusa and her two sisters who had helped her get into the temple, they became the three gorgons. That's why Medusa wanted to slice me up, but she wanted to preserve you as a nice statue. She's still sweet on your dad. You probably reminded her of him. " **

"That's a brand new level of being a pedophile" Thalia gagged

**My face was burning. "Oh, so now it's my fault we met Medusa. "**

**Annabeth straightened. In a bad imitation of my voice, she said: "'It's just a photo, Annabeth. What's the harm?'"**

**"Forget it, " I said. "You're impossible. "**

**"You're insufferable. "**

**"You're-"**

**"Hey!" Grover interrupted. "You two are giving me a migraine, and satyrs don't even get migraines. What are we going to do with the head?"**

**I stared at the thing. One little snake was hanging out of a hole in the plastic. The words printed on the side of the bag said: WE APPRECIATE YOUR BUSINESS!**

**I was angry, not just with Annabeth or her mom, but with all the gods for this whole quest, for getting us blown off the road and in two major fights ****the very first day out from camp. At this rate, we'd never make it to L. A. Alive, much less before the summer solstice.**

**What had Medusa said?**

**Do not be a pawn of the Olympians, my dear. You would be better off as a statue.**

**I got up. "I'll be back. "**

**"Percy, " Annabeth called after me. "What are you-"**

**I searched the back of the warehouse until I found Medusa's office. Her account book showed her six most recent sales, all shipments to the Underworld to decorate Hades and Persephone's garden. **

"Oh, so that is where they came from" Nico says

**According to one freight bill, the Underworld's billing address was DOA Recording Studios, West Hollywood, California. I folded up the bill and stuffed it in my pocket.**

**In the cash register I found twenty dollars, a few golden drachmas, and some packing slips for Hermes Overnight Express, each with a little leather bag attached for coins. I rummaged around the rest of the office until I found the right-size box.**

**I went back to the picnic table, packed up Medusa's head, and filled out a delivery slip:**

**The Gods**

**Mount Olympus**

**600th Floor, 194 | Empire State Building**

**New York, NY**

**With best wishes, PERCY JACKSON **

"And that is how you insult the gods" Anubis says, "And I know what I'm talking about"

"I'm just Per-SASSY" I laugh **[a/n: I swear, search that up in Google "Persassy". You'll enjoy it. .com]**

**"They're not going to like that, " Grover warned. "They'll think you're impertinent. "**

**I poured some golden drachmas in the pouch. As soon as I closed it, there was a sound like a cash register. The package floated off the table and disappeared with a pop!**

**"I am impertinent, " I said.**

**I looked at Annabeth, daring her to didn't. She seemed resigned to the fact that I had a major talent for ticking off the gods. "Come on, " she mut-tered. "We need a new plan. "**

* * *

**So, I guess I need some explanation:**

**First of all: School is hell. **

**To further explain, I belong to the, so to say, "top class" in our level. It means that I am in the top 50 of the level and expectations from the teachers are HIGH. I rarely get to go to , and when I do BAM! Power's out (I really hate power shortage). Since the 2nd quarter is very short, roughly 3 months only and there are a lot of events happening that suspends classes, quizzes and tests and projects are piling up**

**You don't believe me? Well, I have to:**

**make a report about the contribution of Chinese civilization (asian history), **

**make our performance task in Math (something about making a patter using Algebra), **

**make a story pyramid of "The Maiden with a Wooden bowl" (once again, asian literature), **

**something about the different literary devices (which reminds me, I didn't get to write down the homework)**

**pretty much answer my Science homework about ATP and etc. (Hey, the teacher didn't discuss this and she expects us to understand ATP instantly?)**

**many more which I am too tired to type.**

**So, I really can't fit "Writing fanfiction" into my to do list. But since we have a fiesta break, I have one free day for my self (I'll use the remaining 3 days to make my homework and assignments)**

**WORD OF THE DAY: FIESTA - _a Spanish word that means "party", "feast" or "festival". _I am not Spanish, though, but my culture is heavily influenced by them (they did stayed here in the Philippines for 300 years before the Americans came)**

**Second: NO TIME (This can explain itself)**

**Third: Temporary shift of Fandom**

**Look, I'm not abandoning PJO and HOO and KC. Considering that House of Hades comes a week after my birthday (happy birthday to me T.T)**

**Homestuck. **

**I am loving this webcomic**

**This is the thing that is f**king up my mind using Paradox spaces and Quadrants and Dancestors and Time-shenanigans and sh**.**

**So, yeah. Don;t forget to review :D. I am REALLY trying to update this story. You don't know how guilty I feel whenever I open and not click on PublishDoc Manager.**

**BTW, I know have a tumblr account *cheers*. You can follow me, and I post whenever I update a chapter. Just tell me who you are (you can ask me) by introducing your FF penname and tell me which story you are following. Don't forget to follow me first.**

**It's a bit Homestuck-themed, but I also repost PJO and KC and HOO. :)**


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